Red Tower (Bensheim)
The Red Tower , formerly also known as the Citizens' Tower or Blue Tower , is a cultural monument in Bensheim an der Bergstrasse .
History and present
The Red Tower is a fortification tower on the east side of the almost completely demolished Bensheim city wall . It served to secure the city against military attacks that came from the Schönberger Valley. It was probably built in the second half of the 13th century .
Two consoles with a bearded and beardless head are located in the southeast and southwest corners of the tower. They were intended as a warning to the citizens of Bensheim that they obey the law and order. From 1800 the tower was also used as a prison, which earned it its second name, the Bürgerturm . From the demolished Auerbach Gate of the city fortifications, the inscription plaque was attached to the Red Tower in 1837. It commemorates the successful defense of the city in 1504. The inscription reads “after the birth of christ five hundred and four jars / uff dinstag the eylfften juny des brachmon furwar / besieged landgraff wilhelm vo hesse deise stad un pfort / with force shot off in all places / and three hard pulled warn jm related / brunschwig and meckelburg If you are contacted / you will soon have to borrow / then move out of the field on the eylffth day. ”Bensheim was besieged from June 11th to 22nd, 1504 by the troops of Landgrave Wilhelm II of Hesse, who was commissioned with the enforcement . Allied with him were Duke Philipp of Braunschweig, the Duke of Mecklenburg and the Count of Lippe. Wilhelm received the order from Duke Albrecht of Bavaria-Munich . Because of the strong resistance of the citizens of Bensheim it was not possible to take the city. When Count Palatine Philip came from Heidelberg with an auxiliary army , the besiegers had to withdraw with great losses.
At the beginning of the last century, the Red Tower was used as a high water tank.
construction
The red tower was built in yellow sandstone . In 1514 it was painted red, which gave it its current name. The floor plan of the tower is rectangular and there are only a few windows and doors in the masonry. The top is a crenellated wreath and a round arch frieze.
Individual evidence
- ^ The siege of the city of Bensheim 500 years ago. In: Bergsträßer Anzeiger edition of June 26, 2004 ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links
- State Office for Monument Preservation Hessen (ed.): Citizens Tower, Red Tower In: DenkXweb, online edition of cultural monuments in Hessen
- http://www.joseph-stoll.de/images/pdf/Joseph_Stoll_Heimatgeschichtliche_Betrachtungen.pdf
Coordinates: 49 ° 40 ′ 56.2 " N , 8 ° 37 ′ 27.7" E