Schwedenschanze (Stralsund)
The Schwedenschanze in Stralsund was a fortress built in 1870 to secure the sea route .
history
In 1870, Stralsund was already an in-depth fortress. This meant that the fortifications still existed, but were no longer maintained, and there were already plans to close and close the fortifications. In the course of the Franco-Prussian War , a small French squadron operated in the Stralsund Bay. The decision to build a fort ring around Stralsund was then made. Together with the Rostock factory, Fort Paschenberg and the older fortifications on Dänholm and Fort Grahlhof on Rügen , the Pomeranian Battery was supposed to defend the coast against enemy ships and protect the northern section of the city. In 1886 it was renamed “Pommersche Schanze”, since 1902 it has been called “Schwedenschanze”, although it has no connection to the Thirty Years War or Sweden.
At the beginning of the 1880s, Stralsund's fortress status was lifted and the fortifications removed. The Pomeranian battery was used for target practice to test the new construction material concrete . After the Second World War , a restaurant was operated on the site until the 1980s.
construction
The structure of the Pomeranian battery corresponds to that of a lunette of the New Prussian school with seven fronts and a broken throat. On the lake side there were three ring stands for the 15 cm ring cannon, a fourth ring stand was on the northern front. The dry trench , about ten meters wide , was secured by caponing . At the center of the work was a cross reduit, which served to accommodate the teams and to defend the entrance. The then new building materials concrete and granite were used as building material . In Hartwig's Fortress Studies , a black and white picture of a watercolor is shown that shows the construction of the Pomeranian Battery. In this representation, further shelters for ammunition and crews can be seen.
Current condition
Even if there are signs pointing to a Schwedenschanze, it is a bit more difficult to find it. You can recognize them relatively easily by the deep moat that runs around the fort. Most of the heaped walls have already been removed, but can still be seen. A clearing shows the area of the former barracks building. Slight elevations in the ground suggest that its foundation walls are still under the sward. The entire area is overgrown, but a couple of beaten paths lead to some stairs and remains of concrete. Only in the thicket do the remnants of the ring positions become visible. In the immediate vicinity there are also remains of the terrace structures of the restaurant, which operated until the 1980s. The Caponnières have all disappeared, in their place there are large gaps in the wall. Like the barracks, they were probably demolished and used for other construction projects, e.g. B. the large amount of granite used on buildings of the college is unusual for this area. Indications of a palisade can be found in the trench . All in all, the condition is mediocre to poor. The thick vegetation - especially raspberry bushes - make exploring difficult.
Individual evidence
- Frank Gosch: The imperial coastal fortifications on the North and Baltic Seas .
- Hartwig Neumann: Fortress construction art and technology . Area, 2004, ISBN 978-3899962680
Coordinates: 54 ° 19 ′ 59.6 " N , 13 ° 4 ′ 42.7" E