Schmidtor

The Schmidtorturm before its demolition in 1828

Schmidtorstrasse 2012

The Schmidtor , also Schmiedtor , was one of the former medieval city gates of the city of Linz . It was located south of the main square , facing Taubenmarkt and Landstrasse , and had a prominent tower, the Schmidtorturm , which was demolished in 1828. Schmidtorstraße, which connects the main square with Taubenmarkt and Landstraße, is also known as Schmidtor .

history

Due to the importance of the north-south axis in Linz, the Schmidtor with the Schmidtorturm was also the most strikingly designed city gate. The tower was probably built in 1445. Already in Linz fair accounts from 1496–1500 there is evidence that this gate was called Schmidthor , which comes from the town forge in front of the gate. Occasionally it was also referred to as Welsertor and Upper City Gate .

After the fire in the city of Linz on August 15, 1800, in which numerous houses were destroyed, the decision was made to demolish the medieval city fortifications.

Since the Schmidtor was gradually perceived as an obstacle to traffic, it was finally demolished on June 25, 1828. The tower clock and bell went to the Schörfling market on the Attersee . In the years that followed, Schmidtorstrasse was created as a link between the main square and the Landstrasse.

Schmidtorstrasse

In the middle of the 19th century, consideration was given to widening Schmidtorgasse by demolishing the houses between it and Domgasse to the east, but this was not implemented. Instead, Schmidtorstrasse was created in 1860/61 by demolishing a few houses as a breakthrough to the Taubenmarkt in its current form.

Since the construction of the Linz tram , it has been running on Schmidtorstrasse. In the 1970s, the Schmidtor was redesigned into a pedestrian zone at the same time as the Landstrasse.

The so-called bazaar runs parallel to Schmidtorstrasse, a passage from the main square to the promenade at Café Traxlmayr , from which there is also a connecting passage to Schmidtorstrasse opposite Annagasse.

literature

• Eduard Straßmayr : The Linzer Schmiedtor. Linz 1928, pp. 127–142, PDF on ZOBODAT
• Erich Egg: The Linz Schmidtorturm and the origin of its coat of arms. In: Art Yearbook of the City of Linz 1965. Linz 1965, pp. 26–33.

Web links

Commons : Schmidtorstraße, Linz  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Schmidtorstrasse. In: stadtgeschichte.linz.at. Retrieved January 8, 2020 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b} Straßmayr 1928, p. 130.
3. ↑ Straßmayr 1928, p. 129.
4. ↑ Straßmayr 1928, p. 137.
5. ↑ Straßmayr 1928, p. 142.