Gates and towers of the Aachen city wall

City view of Aachen from 1576 with the two wall rings and the gates and towers

The Aachen city wall covered not only the two circular walls , numerous individual structures along the city wall were arranged and served to their better defense. These primarily included the city ​​gates and the defense towers . The inner ring had ten gates and ten towers, the outer eleven gates and twenty-three towers. In addition, the outer wall had several dungeons on sections between the gates and towers. Guard houses for the guards were built on the inside of the wall.

Only small parts of both walls and their numerous towers and city gates have been preserved. The two still preserved city gates, the Marschiertor and the Ponttor , were badly damaged in the Second World War , but could be restored. Of the towers, only the Lavenstein , the Pfaffenturm , the Lange Turm , the Marienturm and the small Adalbertsturm still exist .

Gates and towers

Carl Rhoen: Map of Aachen with the two rings and the gates and towers of the city wall, 1894

The following table lists the gates and towers of the Aachen city wall. The preset order of the structures corresponds to their arrangement in the wall ring. It starts with the respective main gate in the north, i.e. the Ponttor or Pont-Middle Gate. The display then continues clockwise. The display order can be changed at any time by clicking on the sort symbol to the right of the title of a column on the content of this column.

Inner city wall

The inner city wall (Barbarossamauer) had ten city gates and ten towers. Gates that corresponded to a gate of the same name in the outer city wall were given the suffix "medium" because they were located in the middle between the city center and the outer gate. Most of the gates were simple square towers with a gate passage and a drawbridge that led over the moat. The four main gates had outer gates ( barbican ) on the outside of the moat for better defense .

On the east side of the inner city wall, the city gates were relatively close to each other. On the west side, on the other hand, there were long walls without a gate, which were secured by additional towers. This additional defense was also necessary because the moat on this side could not be filled with water because of the terrain and therefore offered less protection than the moat on the east side. Some of these towers were simply shell or bulwark towers ; H. semicircular or rectangular projections of the city wall without wall termination on the city side. Others were semicircular or round full towers, there were no square towers in the inner city wall except for the city gates. Of the towers of the inner city wall, only the Templar tower by name has been handed down.

While there are still remains of the inner city wall itself, no gate or tower of this wall has been preserved.

 Map with all coordinates of the inner city wall: OSM

Surname	Type	direction	location	Construction data	Remarks
Pont Middle Gate	Main gate	North northwest	Pontstrasse / Templergraben location		with barbican
unknown	Round tower	North northwest	Hirschgraben location		as protection for the only sharp kink in the city wall (caused by the already existing buildings ).
Neutor	Side gate	north	Neupforte / Hirsch- and Seilgraben location	Demolished in 1764	also served to guard the outflow of the Johannisbach from the city
Cologne Central Gate	Main gate	Northeast	Großkölnstrasse / Mefferdatisstrasse location		with barbican, largest gate of the inner wall
Besterdertor	Side gate	east	Büchel / Dahmen- and Holzgraben location	Built in the middle of the 13th century, demolished in 1783
Ursuline Gate	Side gate	East-Southeast	Ursulinerstraße / Holzgraben - Friedrich-Wilhelm-Platz location	Built in the middle of the 13th century	also called Aldegundistor or Adalbertsmittelor
Harduinstor	Side gate	South southeast	Hartmannstrasse / Friedrich-Wilhelm-Platz - Kapuzinergraben location	Built in the middle of the 13th century	also called Hartmannstor
Marching Center Gate	Main gate	south	Kleinmarschierstraße / Kapuziner- and Alexianergraben location	First mentioned in 1215, demolished at the end of the 16th century	also called Burtscheider Mitteltor, with barbican, here part of the water of the Pau was channeled into the city moat
Shear gate	Side gate	southwest	Annastraße / Alexianer- and Löhrgraben location		the only city gate in the inner wall with two round towers connected by a central building
unknown	Shell tower	southwest	Löhrgraben location
unknown	Round tower	West southwest	Löhrgraben location		also served to guard the entry of the Pau into the city
Jacob's Middle Gate	Main gate	West southwest	Jakobstrasse / Löhr- and Karlsgraben location	Demolished at the end of the 16th century	with barbican
unknown	Round tower	West southwest	Karlsgraben location
unknown	Round tower	west	Karlsgraben location		also served to guard the inlet of the Johannisbach into the city
King's Middle Gate	Side gate	west	Königstrasse / Karls- und Templergraben location	Demolished in 1783
unknown	Round tower	West northwest	Templergraben location
unknown	Shell tower	West northwest	Templergraben location
unknown	Shell tower	West northwest	Templergraben location
unknown	Semicircular tower	northwest	Templergraben location
Templar tower	Semicircular tower	northwest	Templergraben location	2. H. d. Demolished in the 18th century	Arched frieze under the eaves

Outer city wall

Matthäus Merian : Copper engraving of Aachen with the outer city wall seen from the southwest, 1645

The outer city wall had eleven city gates, including four main gates, as with the inner city wall, and twenty-three towers. Occasionally the water tower with the name water gate is also called the city gate to allude to the twelve gates of the heavenly Jerusalem.

Except for the Vaalser Tor, all of these gates had front gates ( barbican ) that were connected to the actual gate via a stone bridge that led over the moat. As can still be seen at the Ponttor, these bridges were protected on the sides by crenellated walls.

Since the outer city wall was about twice as long as the inner one with about the same number of gates, towers were also arranged between the individual gates on the east side. But also with the outer wall ring, the towers were concentrated on the west side for the reasons already mentioned for the inner city wall, especially in the northwest, where there were six towers between the Königstor and Ponttor. As with the inner city wall, there were also bulwark towers and full towers on the outer city wall. In addition to the semicircular and round full towers, there were also those with a square floor plan.

 Map with all coordinates of the outer city wall: OSM

Surname	Type	direction	location	Construction data	Remarks	image
Ponttor	Main gate	North northwest	Pontstrasse / Pontwall - Saarstrasse location	First mentioned in 1320	the only completely preserved city gate
Marienturm	Round tower with rectangular porch	north	Ludwigsallee location	Erected in 1512 on the site of the former Breuer tower	preserved, served as a gun turret, today a memorial for those who died in the world wars
Mountain gate	Side gate	north	Bergstrasse / Ludwigsallee location	Reduced in size in the 17th century, already in ruins in the 18th century
Bergerschanzturm	semicircular bulwark	North northeast	Ludwigsallee location		Protection for mountain gate
Sandkaultor	Side gate	North northeast	Sandkaulstrasse / Saarstrasse - Monheimsallee location	Demolished in 1811	highest tower of the city gates of Aachen
Heinzenturm	Round tower	Northeast	Heinzenstrasse / Monheimsallee location		reinforced walls
Schanzenchen	square bulwark	East northeast	Monheimsallee location
Kölntor	Main gate	East northeast	Alexanderstraße / Hansemannplatz location	First mentioned in 1320, demolition began in 1807	most beautiful city gate
Water tower	Square tower	east	Heinrichsallee location		occasionally also referred to as a water gate, was used to monitor the water drainage from the city
Adalbertsturm	Round tower	East-Southeast	Kaiserplatz / Heinrichsallee location		Almost completely preserved, only the roof and parts of the upper masonry are missing
Adalbertstor	Side gate	East-Southeast	Kaiserplatz / Beeckstrasse location		First mentioned in 1322
Red ball tower		East-Southeast	Beeckstrasse location
Powder turret	semicircular bulwark	Southeast	Beeckstrasse location		served as a powder store
Shield tower	semicircular bulwark	Southeast	Schützenstrasse location
Wirichsbongardstor	Side gate	Southeast	Theaterstrasse / Wallstrasse location		converted into a windmill, later demolished
Krichelenturm	square bulwark	South southeast	Wallstrasse location
Marching Gate	Main gate	south	Franzstrasse / Wallstrasse - Boxgraben location	First mentioned in 1320	also called Burtscheider Tor, one of the largest archways in Europe, main building preserved, front gate not
Small pounel tower	Semicircular tower	south	Pit trench location	First mentioned in 1696, demolished at the end of the 18th century	only one storey
Big pounel tower	Square tower	south	Karmeliterstraße / Boxgraben location	First mentioned in 1444, partial demolition in 1611, demolition up to the height of the wall in 1782, completely demolished at the end of the 19th century	also served to monitor the entry of the Paunell into the city, stones from the partial demolition in the 17th century used to build the tower of the Jesuit church St. Michael
Karlsturm	semicircular bulwark	South southwest	Krakaustraße / Boxgraben location	Demolished in 1823
Rostor	Side gate	South southwest	Hubertusplatz / Boxgraben location	First mentioned in 1346, demolished in 1799	also served to monitor the entry of the Pau into the city
Lavenstein	Round tower	southwest	Hubertusstraße / Boxgraben location		preserved, used as an ice cellar in the 19th century
Jakobstor	Main gate	southwest	Jakobstraße / Boxgraben - At the Schanz location	First mentioned in 1320, beg. Demolished in the 19th century	unusually high front gate with a throwing machine on the flat roof
Liège ski jump	Kennel wall	southwest	At the Schanz location		only place with a fence wall in front of the Aachen city wall	(see Jakobsstor)
Tower with no name	Square tower	southwest	At the Schanz location		Defense of the Liège Schanze from the wall ring	(see Jakobsstor)
Eyerkeil tower	Round tower	southwest	At the Schanz location		Defense of the Liège Schanze from the front wall
Junkerstor	Side gate	West southwest	Vaalser Straße / Mauerstraße location	Demolished in 1829	also called Vaals Gate, the only gate without a front gate
Pfaff tower	Round tower	West southwest	Lochnerstrasse / Junkerstrasse location	Built 1442–1456	preserved, escape bastion, also served to monitor the inlet of the Johannisbach into the city
King's Gate	Side gate	west	Koenigstrasse / Junkerstrasse location	First mentioned in 1320, beg. Demolished in the 19th century
Long tower	Semicircular tower	west	Turmstrasse location	Beginning Built in the 14th century	preserved, stood on the highest point of the outer wall ring, served as a fire tower and powder store, hence also called the powder tower
Burtscheider Tower	Semicircular tower	West northwest	Turmstrasse location	Beginning 14th century built, early Demolished in the 19th century
Beguinenturm	semicircular bulwark	West northwest	Turmstrasse location	Beginning 14th century built, early Demolished in the 19th century
Gregoriusturm	Round tower with rectangular porch	northwest	Turmstrasse location	1810 demolished to the top of the wall, completely demolished in 1850	most stable defense tower in Aachen
Bongart tower	semicircular bulwark	northwest	Turmstrasse location		Protection for Ponttor
Crutch tower	Semicircular tower	North northwest	Pontwall location

See also

• Bay window of the Aachen city wall
• Guard houses of the Aachen city wall

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} ATUATUKA: Caesar's legion camp in Aachen; From Prof. Dr. Axel Hausmann; 2001 ( online excerpt as pdf )

literature

• Bruno Lerho: The great Aachen city wall with gates and towers . Helios Verlag, Aachen 2006, ISBN 3-938208-37-6 .
• Carl Rhoen : The fortifications of the free imperial city of Aachen . Anton Creutzer, Aachen 1894, urn : nbn: de: hbz: 061: 1-230540 ( ISL Aachen [PDF; accessed on May 7, 2016]).

Web links

Commons : Aachen City Walls  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Maps and pictures of Aachen from AD 900 to 1599
• Picture gallery of the gates and towers of the Aachen city wall

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap