Reichenturm
| Reichenturm | |
|---|---|
 Empire and Kornmarktplatz |
|
| Data | |
| place | Bautzen , Saxony |
| builder | Johann Christoph von Naumann |
| Construction year | 1490/1492 Rebuilding: 1718 |
| height | 56 m |
| Floor space | 80 m² |
| Coordinates | 51 ° 10 '51.8 " N , 14 ° 25' 38.4" E |
The Reichenturm ( Upper Sorbian Bohata wěža ) in the city of Bautzen is a building of the former city fortifications. It is located on the eastern edge of the old town, forms the end of Reichenstrasse and stands on the Kornmarkt , opposite the Liebfrauenkirche . It is open from April to October.
Building history
According to ancient sources, construction of the tower began in 1490. By 1492, the lower round part of the tower, which is still visible today, was built of stone. The upper part of the tower was built from wood at that time. Like many of the other towers in the city of Bautzen, it was part of the expansion of the inner city fortifications in the 14th and 15th centuries. Century.
In 1555 a clock bell was attached to the tower , which indicated the full hour. In 1593 the wooden part of the tower was demolished because of the danger of collapse and rebuilt. At the same time, a detention room was built to the side of the tower on the city side. According to an inscription inside the building, the detention room served as a prison for debtors .
During the siege of the city in 1620 , the imperial tower was damaged several times by the Saxon troops. On October 3, 1620, the besiegers ignited the tower with a ball of fire and the fire left it in ashes except for the masonry. The reconstruction of the imperial tower did not begin until 1627. As early as May 1628, the rafters for the roof truss and on July 4, 1628 the tower ball on the top of the tower and the flag could be put on. The destroyed watch bell could not be replaced for reasons of cost.
During the double siege by Saxon and Swedish troops in 1639 , the tower was set on fire again and destroyed when the Swedes withdrew. As a result, it remained in ruins for 24 years. The Reichenturm could only be rebuilt from May 21, 1663. Previously, on April 26, 1663, the city council launched a call to collect the capital required for restoration. In this call it was pointed out in particular that the reconstruction was necessary more than before due to the town hall tower which collapsed in 1660 . The reconstruction could already be completed on June 14, 1663 with the attachment of the tower ball and the flag. In addition, the bell from the town hall was installed in the rebuilt Reichenturm, which was not damaged when the town hall tower collapsed.
On the night of July 5th to 6th, 1686, the Reichenturm burned down again completely as a result of a city fire that broke out in Kesselgasse. Again the tower remained in ruins for ten years. In the summer of 1696, the reconstruction began with the repair of the masonry. In October 1696 the spire was completed and on November 9, 1696 the tower ball and flag were placed on the spire.
On April 22, 1709 the Reichenturm was destroyed again by a city fire, which in this case began in Hauensteinergasse. Due to a lack of financial resources, the tower remained in ruins until 1715. To raise the necessary capital, the city council held a lottery in 1714, the drawing of which took place on February 4, 1715. The reconstruction of the imperial tower began on April 6, 1715. In order to prevent further fire hazards, the upper part of the tower should now be made of massive construction. As a result, the tower received the striking baroque tower that is visible today . The design for this comes from Johann Christoph von Naumann . The expansion was carried out by the master builder Johann Christoph Steinert , who completed the construction in 1718.
According to tradition, in the course of the renovation, a floor of the round lower part that was badly damaged by the fire was removed and an apartment for a tower keeper was built in its place . In addition, in view of the expected heavy load of the planned new massive upper part of the tower, four pillars were erected in the corners and a fifth pillar in the middle of the spiral staircase. Two electoral coats of arms and two city coats of arms were attached to the upper part of the tower. With the new tower, the tower reached its current height of 56 m.
On December 8, 1721, a new clock bell was also attached to the Reichenturm. According to tradition, the tower was extensively renovated in 1797; in particular, the tower ball, along with the flag and star, have been revised. In 1840 a lightning rod was installed and in 1868 repairs were made to the tower and the tower ball, including the flag and star. In 2016, the outer shell with the tower hood was thoroughly renovated. The tower was last extensively restored in 1991/93.
Slope of the tower
In the years following the completion of the massive upper section of the tower, concerns arose about the tower's load-bearing capacity. As a result, several investigations were carried out on the tower in 1747 on behalf of the city council. It was found that the top of the tower deviates more than half a cubit in the direction of Reichengasse and Steingasse from the perpendicular . The reason for this was seen to be the partly defective material used and the consequences of the fires in the past. As a result, it was suggested that part of the new, massive baroque structure up to the bell cage should be demolished and replaced by a wooden dome covered with lead and copper. These proposals were never implemented for unknown reasons.
According to today's views, the 80 cm deep foundation proved to be insufficient for the later massive structures. However, when the massive upper part of the tower was being built, the subsoil had already been investigated and it was found that the tower was standing on solid rock; the five additional pillars were only intended to provide additional security. It was not until 1953/54 that the inclination movement could be stopped by fastening the foundation. The tower still deviates from the vertical by 1.44 m at its top. The Reichenturm is therefore also known as the Leaning Tower of Bautzen .
particularities
The Reichentor was attached to the Reichenturm. The gate consisted of four gothic arches and the circular wall. The Reichentor was largely demolished in 1837. Only the inner arch was preserved as a round arch. In 1968 trunk road 6 was relocated to Reichenstrasse for a few years because of the construction of a skyscraper that no longer exists on Kornmarkt , so that the last arch had to give way to traffic.
On the east side of the tower there is a 2 m high portrait of Jacob Michael from 1593, which depicts Emperor Rudolf II and two heralds. It is the only monumental early modern monument to this important ruler. The relief was originally located at the Reichentor and most likely expresses the support of the city fathers for the war against the Turks. After conservation in 1994, the relief was completely reconstructed in 2011 and the missing parts replaced.
Remains of the city wall can still be found on the northern side of the tower. These remains show a cross-section of the former fortification.
Trivia
On January 4, 1894, the flag on the top of the tower was broken off by a strong storm, but it got stuck in the broken state. Due to the weather conditions, the flag could not be removed immediately. As a result, barricades with the inscription: “The Reichenturm flag is falling” were set up in the vicinity of the tower to avert danger . In the early afternoon of January 7th, 1894, the broken flag fell down near the gate of the “Zur Weintraube” hotel. In the same year the flag on the Reichenturm was replaced by a new one.
literature
- Kai Wenzel : Rex sedates in medio. The relief image of King Rudolf II on the Bautzen Imperial Tower . In: New Lusatian Magazine . New series, Volume 11, 2008, pp. 27–56
Sources and Notes
- ^ Richard Reymann : History of the city of Bautzen. Printing and publishing: Gebrüder Müller, 1902, page 707ff.
- ↑ a b c d Richard Reymann : History of the city of Bautzen. Printing and publishing: Gebrüder Müller, 1902, page 707.
- ↑ The wording of the inscription was: "Fifteen hundred ninety and three, this year I would be built free, And the debt tower was called, well to whom I remained unknown."
- ↑ Such spheres on spiers are a regional custom and are used to store historical evidence relating to the building and the time.
- ^ A b Richard Reymann : History of the City of Bautzen. Printing and publishing: Gebrüder Müller, 1902, page 708.
- ↑ According to tradition, 414 thalers , 7 groschen and 6 pfennigs could be collected for the reconstruction.
- ↑ Towers had important functions at that time. From the towers u. a. approaching attackers or fires are recognized in good time.
- ↑ A street near the Reichenturm, which runs parallel to Reichenstrasse, today's main shopping street in Bautzen.
- ↑ Today's Hauensteingasse.
- ^ A b Richard Reymann : History of the City of Bautzen. Printing and publishing: Gebrüder Müller, 1902, page 709.
- ↑ According to tradition, the cost of rebuilding amounted to 8,000 thalers .
- ↑ So far, no source is known for this. An information board on the Reichenturm indicates this to Johann Christoph von Naumann .
- ^ A b Richard Reymann : History of the City of Bautzen. Printing and publishing: Gebrüder Müller, 1902, page 710.
- ^ Richard Reymann : History of the city of Bautzen. Printing and publishing: Gebrüder Müller, 1902, page 711.
- ^ A b Richard Reymann : History of the City of Bautzen. Printing and publishing: Gebrüder Müller, 1902, page 712.
- ^ Richard Reymann : History of the city of Bautzen. Printing and publishing: Gebrüder Müller, 1902, page 716.
- ↑ a b c d This information comes from an information board on the Reichenturm.
- ↑ Today's Reichenstrasse.
- ↑ In the literature, 1577 is often incorrectly stated, the year in which Rudolf II visited Bautzen.
- ↑ a b c image of the emperor on the Bautzen imperial tower added. In: sz-online. Sächsische Zeitung GmbH, November 29, 2011, accessed on March 14, 2014 .
- ^ Report in the Oberlausitzer Kurier from January 19, 2008 on the more recent research results of the art historian Kai Wenzel.
- ↑ The reliefs in particular lacked the limbs and weapons of the heralds, which were depicted on the side of the emperor.
- ^ Richard Reymann : History of the city of Bautzen. Printing and publishing: Gebrüder Müller, 1902, page 721.
Web links
Ancient water art (Stara Wodarnja) | Gerber's Bastion (Garbarska bašta) | Lauenturm (Lawska wěža) | Matthias Tower (Maćijowa wěža) | Monk's Bastion (Mniša bašta) | Mlynská (Mlynská bašta) | Mill Gate (Mlynske Wrota) | Nicolaiturm (Mikławska wěža) | Ortenburg (Hród) | Imperial Tower (Bohata wěža) | Röhrscheidtbastei (Röhrscheidtowa bašta) | Students tower (Šulerska Węża) | Wendish Tower (Serbska wěža)