Rheintor (Breisach am Rhein)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Rhine Gate seen from the west

The Rheintor is located on the western edge of today's old town of Breisach am Rhein . It is an entrance portal in the style of the French baroque and belonged to the former fortress of Breisach. Originally the gate bordered directly on the Rhine , which only changed when the Rhine was straightened in the 19th century .

Previous construction

The original Rheintor consisted of a high tower with a square floor plan and a tent roof . It was part of the city wall and stood on the Rhine bridge that led to the Alsatian bank. The city wall has enclosed the lower town since the beginning of the 14th century. A porch was attached to the tower, which ended with a drawbridge towards the Rhine, which could be raised if necessary.

Construction of the new Rhine gate

The French lily coat of arms above the entrance portal
Left-hand details - from above:
Obelisk with free figures,
round relief of the goddess Juno,
sculpture of Hercules

After Breisach fell to France in 1648, Louis XIV had extensive fortifications built around the city. The Rheintor in its present form also dates from this time. It was built around 1675 by the French fortress builder Jacques Tarade according to plans by Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban . As the entrance portal of the former fortress, it was flanked by two conical semicircular rondelles, of which the southern one is still preserved.

Building description

The gate was built as a triumphant entrance portal of the former Rhine bridge, accordingly the magnificent main facade was directed towards the Rhine. The building material is colored shaded dolerite , the plastic jewelry is made of limestone .

The rusticated base is closed by a semicircular bead. The front wall, which adjoins the top, is 28.5 m wide in total. The actual triumphal arch is formed by the 21 meter wide middle section, which protrudes one meter and is approx. 15 meters high up to the top of the gable. It is divided vertically by four pairs of pilasters with Roman-Doric capitals , horizontally by a cornice band halfway up the pilaster.

In the middle is the entrance gate, crowned by a semicircular niche with the French lily coat of arms . Larger-than-life figures stand in niches on both sides of which there are round reliefs with half-length portraits in profile. Over a wide cornice follows Attica construction , which, however, does not occupy the entire width. The two pairs of pilasters next to the entrance are continued in the squat pilasters of the attic. The French royal coat of arms with the three lilies reappears in the gable. Two larger-than-life free figures sit on the sloping gable. The attic is flanked by two obelisks with large crouching free figures.

Details

  • The relief with the coat of arms of the lily above the entrance portal is crowned by the royal crown. It is framed by the chain of orders of the Holy Spirit Order and - further outside - by weapon trophies, flags, drums and gun barrels. The motif is repeated in the gable of the attic.
  • The free figures in the niches on both sides of the entrance portal are 2.60 m high.
    In the right niche you can see a sculpture of Mars leaning on a shield. Mars, the god of war, is a symbol of power. The round relief above the figure presumably shows the bust of Jupiter , the highest of the Roman gods. He can be recognized by the eagle on his shoulder.     Hercules , a symbol of strength, is depicted
    in the left niche, leaning on a club . The sculpture is a replica of Hercules from the     Farnese collections in Naples. The round relief above could represent the highest Roman goddess Juno .
  • The figures on the sloping gable of the attic are more difficult to assign. They are often interpreted as river deities of the Rhine and Danube.
  • The obelisks on both sides of the attic are decorated with reliefs. They show the sun as a symbol of the Sun King, underneath the crown, then a monogram and finally a shield in front of ancient weapons. The large figures crouching on the obelisks are handcuffed. It could be defeated Teutons. This motif was chosen frequently in the 17th century.

Expansion and use

The Rheintor seen from the east
Museum for City History in the extension from 1829

In 1829 the back of the gate was extended. The simple extension with a hipped roof affects the effect of the originally free-standing upper part of the facade. The building served as a customs post, barracks, military hospital, poor house, school and tobacco factory. The Erismann wallpaper factory produced there from 1838 to 1857. The Museum of City History has been housed in the building since 1991 .

literature

  • Joseph Schlippe : The Rhine Gate to Breisach in the Breisach booklet (2nd year 1959 booklet 2)
  • Amand Iber: The Breisach fortress in modern war history (Journal of the Freiburg History Association, Freiburg, 47th vol., 1936).
  • Franz Xaver Kraus: Kunstdenkmäler Kreis Freiburg Land (Badisches Kunstdenkmälerwerk, 6th vol., 1904).

Web links

Commons : Rheintor  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Joseph Schlippe: Das Rheintor zu Breisach in the Breisach booklet (2nd year 1959 booklet 2, p. 104 + 105)

Coordinates: 48 ° 1 '57.2 "  N , 7 ° 34' 29.9"  E