Sights in Memmingen
Sights in Memmingen are mainly the old town houses and patrician houses. Over the centuries, the city has retained its old townscape.
Downtown
Marketplace
The uniform design of the buildings on the market square is particularly striking. For the viewer, this marketplace does not seem to be the result of a long construction period, but rather gives the impression that it was created in one go. Emergency excavations in 1991 showed that the open area of this square was once built on.
The renaissance town hall , the guild and the wheelhouse are most admired . The market fountain has a long history in Memmingen. When the imperial city was founded, the square had its own fountain. In 1566 a larger stone fountain was built for the first time, which was completely renovated in 1688. In 1847 it was removed. Since the market square appeared empty without a fountain, another fountain was built in 1870 with a marble bowl and the figure of a boy riding a swan. This fountain was framed by small trees. The system was removed two years later. In 1994, the Memmingen-based company Magnet-Schultz donated a new neo-baroque market fountain to the city. The colonial store (today Lotto Baumann) is one of the few houses that still has a fire protection wall. This should prevent the fire from spreading. Today's Woolworth department store , originally consisting of three buildings, used to be the inn for the stork's nest. A stork's nest on the fireplace still bears witness to this today.
Wine market
In the 12th century, the southern wall of the Guelph city ran along the Weinmarkt. During excavations in 2005, remnants of wood from the former city fortifications were found there. Only after 1350 - at that time the former upper town was included in the city fortifications - the old parts of the city fortifications were removed. The square was probably rebuilt before 1400. Wines from all parts of the then known world were already on sale there. As the center of trade and commerce, the square developed in the 15th century when almost all guilds settled on this square. The most impressive are the weavers' guild with their decorative framework and the Kramer guild, in which the first human rights of Europe (the so-called Twelve Peasant Articles ) were written down. The freedom fountain in front of the Kramer Guild, inaugurated in 2014, is intended to commemorate this memorable event. The former Knörringer wine house was to be demolished. This could be prevented at the instigation of the Memmingen citizenship. The building has been restored and has been used as a café, restaurant and residential area since 2008.
Wall belt
→ see main article: Memmingen fortifications
One of the city's greatest attractions is the largely preserved wall belt. Only on the east side it is almost completely missing. An inspection is not possible as most of the battlements have been removed. A park landscape leads around the wall belt, which is only interrupted on the west and east side of the city (see park landscape). In order to preserve the gates and towers, several wall breakthroughs were made, especially in the last ten years of the 20th century, so that traffic could flow unhindered.
The wall belt was built in five construction periods. In the first period, around the year 1000, parts of the old Guelph city were secured with ramparts and palisades.
In the second construction phase, the so-called Guelph city was surrounded by a wall belt with four gates and several towers (1100–1200). Two gates were demolished during the third and fourth construction period as part of the city expansion (Obertor near Fuggerbau, inner Kalchtor near Kreuzherrenkloster), the third at the request of the citizens, who viewed the narrow passage as an economic obstacle (Notzentor 1863). The only thing that has been preserved from this period is the West Gate. Due to various sieges and destruction, it no longer exists in its original form, the current shape dates from the time after the Thirty Years War. Part of the old wall belt still stands from Zollergarten to Ratzengraben, including the crooked witch tower and a built-in tuff tower , which can still be viewed from the inside in the Natterer stationery shop .
The Staufer city was included in the wall belt until 1268. The wall belt extended from the Hexenturm to today's Maximilianstrasse.
The largest construction phase can be documented in the period from 1350 to 1395. The so-called upper town was included in the fortification. Many gates and towers were built, a large part of which is still preserved today.
The last expansion of the city took place in 1445 (see Ulmer Vorstadt ). At that time, the fortifications consisted of a total of around 3.5 kilometers of wall and 38 gates and towers.
The defense system experienced the greatest wave of demolitions with the construction of the railway. Instead of moving the rail system to an undeveloped area, almost the entire east side including the gates and towers were demolished, including old gates such as the Kalchstor (built until 1268) and the Lindentörlein (built around 1340). The so-called Wasserkunst (one of the seven Memmingen landmarks ) was canceled in 1863. On the east side there are only about 200 meters of the formerly about one kilometer long wall belt and the built-in powder mill tower .
The south side of the city fortifications is one of the best preserved in the city. The wall belt from 1340 still exists almost entirely in its original height. The city wall on the Hohe Wacht , which is currently being restored, is also on Haller's list. The so-called Kempter Tor (built in 1395) has also been preserved from this period. Since this side was the best fortified, it was almost always spared during sieges and city occupations.
The west side is also almost completely preserved. Only one piece is missing from the town hall. However, this was rebuilt on the occasion of the town hall building including the battlement. The dungeon tower , which had not been preserved , was also rebuilt. The shape of the Westertor and the Lindauer Tor have been preserved from the time after the Thirty Years' War.
The north side forms the Ulm suburb.
Kramerstrasse
Kramerstraße is the first and so far only pedestrian zone in Germany that was previously part of a federal highway, the B 19 . In the street, which is interrupted by the wine market, the medieval image has largely been preserved. There you will find the second oldest unicorn pharmacy in Germany and the city theater. At the beginning of the 20th century, one of the biggest fires in the city's history raged there. However, the old structure could largely be saved. In the past, many dilapidated houses in the theater area were demolished and replaced by new buildings, mostly in keeping with the old town.
Stauferstadt or Kalcher Vorstadt
Due to the city's great economic boom in the 13th century, new houses had to be built and trading centers opened up. For this purpose, the Kalcher suburb with the southern part of the city was included in the wall belt in the 13th century. The suburb got its name from the Kalkerfeld in front of the city. The Kalcher Vorstadt is characterized by a high proportion of old buildings. Only in the back alleys were some houses demolished after the bombing in 1945 and because of dilapidation and replaced by new buildings close to the old town. In contrast to the old Guelph city, the street layout is straight, almost at right angles. Kalchstraße as the main street was bordered by the market square and the Kalchtor, which was demolished in the 19th century. The Salzstraße between Kalchstraße and Maximilianstraße is to be seen as a further delimitation of the Kalcher suburb.
The importance of the Kalcher suburb in the Middle Ages is mainly due to the fact that the salt barn was located there. The building is over 100 meters long and has the typical Memmingen arched frieze that embellishes the simple half-timbered structure. The Kreuzherrenkloster is also located in the Kalcher suburb . In the Middle Ages, the bell foundry, presumably the Vöhlinsche Handelsbiederlassung and various town farms were located there, of which the mold maker was destroyed in the Second World War and then rebuilt true to the original. The noblest inn of the imperial city era, the Die Krone, today's Gasthaus zum Schwanen , is also located in the Staufer town. A painting reminds of the former importance of this house in the Rosengasse. Of the former city fortifications, only a few meters of the city wall have survived. Due to the construction of the railway in the 1860s, almost all gates and towers and almost the entire city wall were demolished. Only at the Schuhhaus Cornelius, a stately multi-storey old town building, are the remains of the Kalchtor, the city wall including the battlement (which cannot be walked on) and the powder mill tower.
Herrenstrasse
Herrenstrasse got its name from the gentlemen, the old ministerials of the Guelphs. It is one of the oldest streets in the old town and has largely retained its medieval appearance. The Herrenstrasse is bordered by the Hermansbau , a four-wing baroque palace and the old lower gate, which was demolished in the 14th century. Other buildings worth seeing are the Dieselhaus, the Zangmeisterhaus and the old city chancellery from 1582 (today a branch of the Unterallgäu district office).
Wegbachviertel
The former Wegbachviertel is the area between the Roß- / Weinmarkt and the Hohe Wacht as well as between the Kramerstraße and the city wall. This was included in the old city's defenses around 1350. A large part of the old town from the 13th to 17th centuries has survived. The ensemble opposite Schrannenplatz with Hirschgasse and Kempter Straße is particularly worth seeing in this part of the city. The Golden Lion, a typical Swabian multi-storey gabled house, is also one of the sights of the Upper Town. A cannonball from the last great siege in the Thirty Years' War can be seen in the gable. The Red House, a town house belonging to the Rot monastery, is one of the city's buildings worth seeing, as is the ensemble of Obere Bachgasse.
High watch
The Hohe Wacht is the area of the city wall between Kempter and Lindauer Tor. This was the best fortified part and was never really destroyed. The residential development from the post-war years used the city wall as the rear wall. Some of the battlements are still there, especially between the executioner's house and the Kempter Tor , where the wall is being renovated. However, the battlements are not accessible. On the side out of town near the 14th century soldier tower, the old moat still exists. It was not filled in, so that one can see the depth of the moat that used to surround the city. It was filled with water in times of war and with the rubbish of the imperial city in peacetime. This part of the city is to be redeveloped and brought back to life within about 30 years. It is planned to continue the park belt, which surrounds almost the entire city, and thus to complete it. The Red Barracks , which was built by the Bavarians in 1702, is also one of the city's sights . In the meantime, plans have already been submitted to make the city wall partially accessible again. This will be negotiated at a later date.
Niedergassenstadt or Ulmer Vorstadt
The Ulm suburb or Niedergassenstadt is the youngest part of the old town. It was only provided with its own fortification around 1445. The almost completely preserved city wall with the Ulmer Tor , the begging tower and the swallowtail tower is worth seeing . Instead of the old guard house, it was decided in 1475 to build the inlet . Only the emergency center built around 1000 AD (demolished in 1883) and two towers were demolished ( Luginsland and Weißer Mehlsack 1805 by order of Napoleon). The battlements were removed at the end of the 18th century. The city wall is still in its original height.
The passage with the Stadtbach, which becomes the Memminger Ach when the wall erupts , is always a romantic attraction for tourists. Also in the Ulm suburb is the Parishaus, a baroque palazzo belonging to the lords of Paris. Today the Parishaus houses a year-round exhibition, the consumer advice center and an office. The Grimmelhaus of the patrician family Grimmel stands almost immediately next to the Ulmer Tor. It is above all due to its size that it stands out from the otherwise rather tranquil setting of Ulmer Straße. Today it houses the cultural office, the adult education center and the city archive. Many of the old houses have been extensively renovated in recent years (including a tanner's house from the 14th century) - others had to give way to the wrecking ball and new buildings due to great dilapidation. One of the Memmingen mills used to stand in the Niedergassenvorstadt. This was demolished at the end of the last century and replaced by residential buildings.
Tanners Quarter
The area between Schrannenplatz and Lindentörlein is known as the Gerberviertel. The tanning trade flourished there in the Middle Ages. The city was well known for its tanneries and the good quality goods were traded far and wide. The center of this quarter is Gerberplatz with the seven-roof house . This area was badly damaged in the bombing raid in 1945. The tall and bulky linden color from the 14th century used to stand on the building of today's post office. The Lindentörlein was demolished in the course of the railway construction in 1863. A plaque at the Epplehaus reminds of this. The Frauenkirche is also on the edge of the Gerberviertel. Today, with a few exceptions, the tanners' quarter consists mainly of post-war buildings.
Outside the old town
There are also various sights from the Middle Ages and modern times outside the old town.
Parkland
An almost complete green belt has been created around the city wall. With one exception (Hohe Wacht, southern part of the city wall), the old moats were filled in and replaced by green spaces with trees that are now over 150 years old. The parks are called (starting at the Ulmer Tor clockwise): Hubergarten, Zollergarten, Ratzengraben / Zollergraben, Kohlschanze, Reichshain, Kaisergraben, Hohe Wacht, Westertorplatz, Grimmelschanze. There are smaller parks in almost all residential areas, but they are mostly much younger. There is also the New World City Park, the former state horticultural show area, as well as the Old Cemetery and the Forest Cemetery, both of which are used by the population as parks and recreational areas.
State horticultural show grounds
From an area of 18 hectares, which was called Little Venice at the end of the 19th century, a fallow area with wild growth developed by the end of the 20th century. With the State Garden Show (LGS) in 2000, the area was given a new use. The old sewage pond (there used to be a sewage treatment plant there) was placed in a new, long bed. The Stetterweiher was enlarged. Both were connected by a stream and a floating stage. Thanks to its ideal implementation, the LGS 2000 was the most successful state horticultural show to date. Over a million visitors ensured a positive overall balance.
Since the end of the LGS, the local recreation area has been called Stadtpark Neue Welt. Various events are held there. The first German inner-city wakeboard facility is also located there .
graveyards
In the Middle Ages there were only two cemeteries in the city center. These were in front of the two parish churches St. Martin and Unser Frauen. They were abandoned from 1530. The old cemetery served as a replacement cemetery.
Old graveyard
The old cemetery was abandoned in 1930. The cemetery, which had been municipal up to then, housed that of Duke Welf VI until 1529. donated Schottenkloster St. Nikolaus. Of this only one keystone, the so-called basilisk , remains . The partly monumental grave monuments are among the best preserved in Germany due to their size and furnishings. They are currently being extensively renovated. The morgue was used well into the 1950s. Today it serves as a rehearsal room for the town and youth band. Today the old cemetery is mainly parkland and a practice area for the marching rehearsals of the chapels. At the beginning of 2008, many grave monuments and statues were willfully destroyed by vandalism.
Forest cemetery
With the abandonment of the old cemetery, a new burial site became necessary in the city. As early as 1920, a new cemetery was therefore laid out in the previously undeveloped East of Memmingen. Due to the large number of trees in this area, it became a forest cemetery. The oldest grave is an Allemann grave, which was found in the Eisenburg Forest and set up here. It is also equipped with numerous sculptures (e.g. by Max Pöppel ) and unique grave monuments, fountains and flower arrangements. The war graves of the two world wars are located in this cemetery as well as a grave for unborn children. Urn burials are possible in so-called urn walls or in earth urn graves. Due to the increasing number of cremations (around 30 percent in 2006), a new crematorium was built in the forest cemetery in 2006. There is a funeral hall and several burial rooms. The forest cemetery has a total area of 14.5 hectares and 7,000 grave sites. In 2007 around 5000 of them were occupied. 900 are war graves from the First and Second World Wars, including the honorary grave of fighter pilot Max Ritter von Mulzer . In 2006 there were 390 burials, 220 of which were burials. It not only serves as a burial place, but also as a park.
Cemeteries in the districts
The largest cemetery in the district is in Amendingen behind the St. Ulrich church. It has a total area of 6762 square meters and 542 grave sites, 393 of which are occupied. Extensions are no longer possible. In 2006 there were 23 burials, 17 of which were burials. Two more cemeteries are in the Steinheim district. One of them is urban with a total area of 5665 square meters and 124 graves, of which 78 are occupied. In 2006 five burials, including four burials in the ground, were carried out. Another cemetery is ecclesiastical and has an area of 1771 square meters and 164 grave sites, of which 129 are occupied. In 2006 there were a total of six burials, five of which were burials.
In the Middle Ages and at the beginning of the modern era, the cemetery in Buxach was only used for the citizens of the community of Buxach-Hart. It is located around the church (this part is ecclesiastical). In the 20th century it was expanded to include an urban part. The city was able to acquire an adjacent plot of land, so that future expansion is provided here. Urn burials have already taken place in Buxach. The total area of the area used today is 4765 square meters. There are 149 grave sites, 137 of which are occupied. In 2006 eight burials took place (all burials). In the neighboring district of Volkratshofen, the cemetery has a total area of 2607 square meters and is urban. There are a total of 148 grave sites, of which 133 are occupied. In 2006 a total of three burials took place (all burials in the ground). The Ferthofen cemetery, which also belongs to the parish of Volkratshofen, is maintained exclusively by the church. It has an area of 557 square meters. There are a total of 41 grave sites. 25 of them are occupied. In 2006 there were no burials. The Dickenreishausen cemetery is also maintained by the church. It has a total area of 4210 square meters. There are a total of 140 grave sites, 130 of which are occupied.
St. Joseph's Church
The St. Josefs Church at the gates of the city is the largest new church in Germany between the First and Second World Wars. Its architecture and its brick and concrete construction make it one of the masterpieces of church construction from the Weimar Republic.
Church of the Assumption
The listed church of the Assumption in the east of the city is one of the sights thanks to its cool concrete architecture. The equipment is extremely simple. The concrete vault faces the front of the altar. There is no high altar.
Bismarck Tower
The Bismarck Tower on the Memminger Hühnerberg was built in 1904 as a lookout tower with an extension and pinnacle crowning. It cannot be viewed from the inside. Today there is a forest around the tower that blocks the former view.
Sights in the districts
The districts are mainly characterized by their church buildings. From the exuberant baroque to the pure coolness of Protestant churches, all architectural styles are available.
Amendingen
Sights in Amendingen , the largest of all Memmingen districts, are the St. Ulrich church there and the splendid church of the Buxheim monastery in the baroque style. It is consecrated to Saint Ulrich from Augsburg and has a single nave, a choir with sacristy and two galleries. The specialty of the church is that the choir is not oriented towards the east like most German churches, but towards the north. The church has two side altars, one of which is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the other to Saint Joseph. In the Altar of Mary there is a late Gothic Madonna by the Strigel family of artists, which was probably in a Memmingen monastery before the iconoclasm . The church also has numerous wooden statues of other saints, as well as several oil paintings and frescoes. The Protestant parish hall is housed in an old coppersmith and wire drawing shop , also known as Amendinger Schlössle . Parts of the State Garden Show 2000 were on the Amendinger floor.
Buxach and Hart
The Dreieinigkeitskirche Buxach is a rather cool-looking Protestant church from the 18th century. In the back part under the gallery there are various wooden panels with coats of arms of Memmingen patrician families, the choir is decorated with stucco and the Memmingen city arms. Other buildings worth seeing are the old hospital mill and the Zehentstadel in Hart. All of these structures are under monument protection.
Dickenreishausen
Dickenreishausen was built in the shape of a horseshoe and has beautiful old farmhouses. The church is a small late Gothic jewel that was built by the Unterhospitalstiftung Memmingen. In the church there used to be a so-called bad luck bench, on which only the "old maids" were allowed to sit. The church is currently in a desolate condition and needs urgent renovation.
Iron castle
Eisenburg has a small chapel next to the castle , which is dedicated to St. Johann Nepomuk. It has an impressive interior for its size and resembles the Orthodox churches on the inside.
Ferthofen
In addition to the Ferthofen church, the Illerkraftwerk is worth seeing. The Illerfeld Castle, built by the office director of the imperial city of Memmingen, Eitel Friedrich von Lupine (1699–1774), with the castle park and the tulip tree avenue has a beautiful exterior view, but cannot be visited from the inside.
Grünenfurt
The small country palace in Grünenfurt cannot be viewed from the inside as it is privately owned.
Steinheim
In Steinheim, the St. Martin's Church in the center of the village is worth seeing. The baroque gem impresses with its cool, reformed furnishings with baroque elements. Zehentstadel, which is in danger of collapsing, is to be renovated. Several old farms are listed.
Volkratshofen
In Volkratshofen there is a cool-looking Reformed church.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ City of Memmingen: Freiheitsbrunnen 1525. Retrieved on October 9, 2019 .
