Rotunda (Münden)

Rotunda with the rest of the ramparts of the city wall

The rotunda in Münden is a former kennel tower in Hann. Münden in southern Lower Saxony , which was part of the medieval city fortifications of Münden . The rotunda , which was built at the beginning of the 16th century, served to protect the city gate Oberes Tor , which was in front of the city wall as a bastion .

history

The rotunda around 1900, without a roof

The Upper Gate was first mentioned as a city gate in 1318. It was at the southern end of Lange Strasse, from where a road led to Kassel . Initially, the Upper Gate had a gate tower and a drawbridge . Around 1400 the complex consisted of a double gate. From 1501, Duke Erich I had a bastion with a city gate and a smaller defensive tower built in front of the city wall . The main structure was the rotunda with a diameter of 17 meters. The work continued until 1546. In 1578 the coat of arms of Duke Erich II , which still exists today, was attached to the facade of the rotunda.

The rotunda in front of the former city wall is located on the south side of the medieval city center. In this area the city wall ran roughly in a west-east direction. The next tower of the city fortifications is the brick gate tower about 100 meters to the northwest . About 100 meters to the northeast there was a powder tower at the Aegidienkirche , which was destroyed by an explosion shortly after the conquest of Münden by troops led by Johann T'Serclaes von Tilly in 1626.

Coat of arms on the rotunda

In 1776 the city gate at the rotunda was demolished due to the construction of a road . The defense tower on the rotunda was demolished in 1847. The rotunda was preserved and served in the 19th century as a storage room for a brewery and as a shed for hearses . From 1891 a merchant from Münden had rented it for storage purposes. In 1937 a memorial was inaugurated in the rotunda for those who fell in World War I and later for those who fell in World War II . In 1966 a memorial for the victims of Nazi tyranny was attached to the outside. In 1985 and 1986, due to the increasing destruction of the building by vegetation and roots, a renovation was carried out for 880,000 DM . The masonry was repaired and the round roof was rebuilt and covered with slate .

In 2016, plans became known to use the rotunda for cultural events such as exhibitions, readings and educational offers, which until then was not possible due to the lack of a second escape route.

literature

Karl Brethauer : The Upper Gate in Hann. Münden in: From the Werraland , Eschwege, 1959
The rotunda at the Upper Gate in Münden. History and restoration 1985-1986 , published by the city of Münden, Hann. Münden, 1990
Johann Dietrich Pezold: The old fortifications of the city in: History on the three rivers. A glimpse into the past of the city of Hann. Münden on Werra, Fulda and Weser , Hann. Münden, 2001, pp. 16-20
Johann Dietrich Pezold: The rotunda at the upper gate in: History on the three rivers. A glimpse into the past of the city of Hann. Münden on Werra, Fulda and Weser , Hann. Münden, 2001, pp. 21-22