City fortification of Gmünd in Carinthia

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Lower city gate with city wall (house facades), in front of it Zwingermauer
Copper engraving by Gmünd by Andreas Trost after Johann Weichard von Valvasor

The medieval city ​​fortifications in Gmünd in Carinthia , which date back to the 13th century, are still largely preserved. A kennel was built around the entire city wall .

topography

Gmünd is located immediately northeast of the confluence of the Lieser and Malta rivers . The largely preserved city fortifications form a wall square in a south-west-north-east direction roughly in the form of a parallelogram . Gmünd Castle stands on a steep hill in the north . The central location of the city is the main square, which rises slightly to the northeast and extends from the Lower Gate (also called the City Tower) in the southwest to the Upper Gate in the northeast. Parallel to the main square there is a back alley in both the north-west and south-east. The New Palace , built from 1607 onwards , is located in the south-east corner ; the Pankratius Church and the Pankratiustor are integrated into the south-east wall . The so-called Amthof stands on the southwest corner of the city. The rectory and parish church are located on the Neuer Markt (today church square) in the north-west corner. From there the Kirchgasse ascends northeast towards Maltator.

history

Schematic representation of the town fortifications of Gmünd in Carinthia with the age of the fortifications

The time when Gmünd was built, and thus its fortifications, is not exactly known. The few clues point to the planned construction of a fortress by the Archdiocese of Salzburg. Parts of a settlement could have existed before. The oldest masonry in the city, dated "before 1250", is in the Pankratius Church, which has been profaned after a fire since 1792 and used as a warehouse. The first documentary mention of today's city took place in 1252, when within a few days during peace negotiations Philipp von Spanheim , Elekt as Archbishop of Salzburg , with Meinhard III. of Gorizia and Albert III. some documents were issued by Tyrol in Gmünd. In 1273 Gmünd was designated as a market ( foro nostro ) and a city wall ( murum civitatis ) was mentioned for the first time.

According to a historical study, the south wall (actually south-east wall) of the city, parts of the west wall (actually south-west wall) and the east wall (actually north-east wall) date from the years 1240–1270. Since the Pankratius Church is older, it is assumed that wooden palisades secured the settlement before the wall was built. Even in 1273 and later, the stone wall should not have been completely finished, as a letter from 1292 indicates, in which it is reported that the citizens raised money for the improvement of the wall. In the vicinity of the Upper Gate, there is a horizontal construction gap in the wall, where it was later increased. It is believed that the missing parts were supplemented with wood until the wall was completely completed. The square of the wall was not yet as large as it is today. In the 13th century, the northern (actually northwest) city wall existed between today's Kirchgasse and the northern Hinterer Gasse, where it can be proven as part of buildings. Therefore, today's Old Castle was not part of the city fortifications at that time or did not yet exist, as the building history study has shown. The 13th century castle is the so-called Amthof, whose masonry largely dates from the years 1240–1270, in the south-west corner of the city.

In 1346 Gmünd was raised to the rank of town and grew rapidly. The parish church was consecrated as early as 1339. At that time the city wall was also extended to the northwest and the new church was included in the city fortifications. The masonry of this part of the wall is dated to 1320-1360. During this time, a new castle with keep and residential tower was built in the north on a steep hill as part of the city fortifications, which is now known as the old castle. In the 15th century there was a dispute between the Salzburg Archbishop Bernhard von Rohr and Emperor Friedrich III. , in which Hungarian troops occupied Gmünd in 1480. In 1487 Gmünd fell to the emperor, the castle was badly damaged during the previous siege. In 1502 the Archbishop of Salzburg, Leonhard von Keutschach, was able to buy back the town and had the castle, which had been badly damaged after the siege and a town fire in 1504, restored and expanded.

The masonry of the burger expansion is dated to 1500–1520. In the period from 1470 to 1500, the entire city wall, with the exception of the castle slope, was preceded by a kennel, the remains of which are still present on the south and west walls. It is not possible to determine whether the Zwinger was built during the time of the Hungarian occupation, during the time of Gmünd in imperial possession or during the time under Leonhard von Keutschach. In 1555 Emperor Ferdinand I bought Gmünd back from Salzburg and pledged it to Christoph Pflügl von Goldenstein. This extended the castle to its west wing. At that time the lower gate was also expanded. 1607–1615, under Count Rudolf von Raitenau, the builder Daniel Deutta built the city palace, also known as the New Palace .

buildings

Pankratiuskirche

Nave of the Pankratius Church with the city wall on the right

When the city wall was built in the 13th century, the Pankratius Church already existed. It is located on the south-east wall and contains the oldest dated masonry in the city, which was built "before 1250". A legend about the origins of the city of Gmünd reports that a count's son Pongratz who was killed in the then existing lake was found there after the lake was drained, and a church was built there. The city wall adjoins the nave in the east. At the same time as the city wall was erected, the existing Romanesque building was raised. The church had a tower in the west which today is only preserved up to the height of the church building. In 1452 a renovation took place in which the nave was raised and vaulted with a three-bay ribbed vault . The Romanesque choir was replaced by a polygonal choir around 1500–1510. At the same time, a square sacristy was built north of the choir. In 1513 the church was rededicated. After the consecration of today's parish church in 1339, it was expanded in the Gothic style , but was finally destroyed by fire in 1792 and not restored as a church, but from then on used as a warehouse and coach house. At this time the west tower was also dismantled.

Pankratiustor

Projecting Pankratiustor with Zwinger wall on the left, nave of the Pankratius Church on the right

The Pankratiustor is located on the south-east wall between the Pankratius Church and the Antonius Hospital . It protrudes far in front of the city wall and connects to both sides of the kennel walls. The adjoining kennel to the east is wider so that the gate also protrudes over the adjoining kennel to the west. Due to the wall connection between the western Zwinger and the gate, both systems must have been built at the same time. The late Gothic building was built around 1470–1500. The two-storey gate has a passage with a spike cap barrel and a round-arched entrance portal. Near the city wall there were two openings in the gate passage that led into the kennel. While the opening in the eastern kennel was walled up, the western one still has its original function today. The year 1488 was placed above the outer gate passage. A Habsburg coat of arms can be seen on the outside of the gate.

Amthof

South wing of the Amthof, view of the inner courtyard

It is a three-winged, almost square building enclosed by a courtyard wall in the southwest corner of the city fortifications. It was used as a grain box for the toe grain. The castle in Gmünd, first mentioned in a document in 1292, has so far been related to today's Old Castle, but no building fabric from the 13th century was found there. According to the construction study, the Amthof with its masonry dated around 1240–1270 is the 13th century castle and thus the seat of the city lord at that time. The representative system by pushing it over the fortification wall is also highlighted. Originally the building consisted of the two-storey west wing. There was a rectangular tower-like elevation in the corner of the fortification wall. A curtain wall was drawn around the castle, which is no longer complete today. A moat is also suspected due to the supporting pillars on the north wing. Around 1280-1320, the north wing and possibly also the south wing were added to the ring wall. From the original round arch portal only part of the arch is preserved today, which is reminiscent of the portal of the old castle. In the 17th and 18th centuries, there were several renovations, with the rooms on the ground floor being given a barrel vaulting cap .

Lower gate

City Tower (Lower Gate)

The lower gate, known today as the city tower, is a rectangular four-storey gate tower with a round - arched barrel-vaulted passage. To the north of the passage there is a pedestrian passage and four floors above it, the last floor being a mezzanine floor with keyhole notches. A curved gable completes the tower. The current shape goes back to the beginning of the 16th century . The curved gable and the turret with onion helmet were added at the end of the 18th century after 1790 . In its core, however, the tower is much older, with the oldest parts dating from around 1280–1320. The erection of the gate tower could therefore coincide with the completion of the late Romanesque city fortifications around 1300 . When the kennel was built in the 15th century, the lower gate was given a gate. In 1563 the tower was expanded. The barrel-vaulted passage and also the pedestrian passage could go back to this time. The tower ball is decorated with a weather vane in the shape of St. Florian . During the restoration in 1987, the early baroque external appearance was restored. The coats of arms stones of August and Christoph Reinbold made of white marble from 1555 and the coat of arms stone of Johannes Weitmoser from 1521 , which originally stood at the parish church, are embedded in the western outer wall . The rooms are used for a local history museum and annually changing art exhibitions.

  • Showroom

  • View into the stairwell

  • The weather vane

Maltator

Maltator, original gate construction and extension (right)

The Maltator is located on the northwestern city wall and connects the original road into the Maltatal to the city. Today it is a three-story building with a crooked roof and a boarded gable . At the time of the Gothic city expansion around 1320-1360 it was a simple wall gate and only later was a gate with a trapezoidal floor plan built in front of the city wall . This building probably had only one floor, but could also have had a wooden upper floor. It is also possible that it was a roofless kennel gate. In the east wall of the gate passage there is a walled up round arch portal that led towards the castle and could have ended in a kind of kennel. There is also a portal in the western wall, which used to lead to the kennel. Since the trapezoidal floor plan was extended to the west by an extension in the 18th century , this portal now leads to the ground floor of the extension. Its rooms are vaulted with square vaults . Around 1470–1500 the outer gate was renewed and at the same time the gate building was likely to have been increased by one floor. Today the upper floors can be reached via an external staircase east of the gate. The second floor was only expanded in the second half of the 20th century . On the inner arched gate on the side facing the city at the apex of the chlorite slate is the inscription of the year 1594 . In 1993 the Maltator was restored and converted into a house for artists. From April to October the house is made available to an international guest artist as a studio .

Old castle

Old castle, Renaissance wing with round tower, on the right the original residential tower

The building, known today as the Old Castle, was not erected in the 13th century, as originally assumed, but only with the Gothic city expansion in the 14th century. The castle was expanded or rebuilt in several construction phases. It originally consisted of a five-storey residential tower built around 1320-1360 and the keep . Around 1350–1400 the residential tower was expanded and raised. In the next construction phase, the castle was expanded generously. Around 1470–1500, like the rest of the city fortifications, a fence wall was placed in front of the castle, which replaced an earlier gate fence. Then around 1504–1511 under Leonhard von Keutschach the so-called oriel wing and the northeast wing were built, and the residential tower was vaulted. A gate tower was built at the kennel wall to the northwest to replace a smaller existing gate. A little later, on the city side, an extension was made to the residential tower and the bay wing. Finally, between 1555 and 1556, a north-west wing with a round tower was built under Christoph Pflügl von Goldenstein - the plow wing. The castle was badly damaged several times by sieges and fires. In 1886 the castle burned down for the last time and became a ruin . From 1968 onwards , the castle ruins were structurally secured through a civil initiative. Today the building is used in many ways, it houses a restaurant and there are theater performances, readings, concerts and other events.

Upper gate

Upper door with visible vertical crack in the plaster that goes back to the door extension

The upper gate is in one axis with the lower gate and connects the original road to the Katschtal at Gmünd. Today's gate is at the position of the medieval city gate, but when the New Palace was built in 1607–1615, the old gate was demolished and a new gate was built. The gate has two passageways with groin vaults , above which there is a residential floor and an attic with a moat roof . Originally, the gate only had one passage and was narrower because there was a building on the northern half that no longer exists today. When the castle was rebuilt in 1651–1654, the gate was extended to the north with an identical-looking part, the existing passage was walled up so that a room was created from the previous gate passage. According to tradition, the gate should have been relocated in order to have a larger curve radius for the entrance to the northern castle portal with carriages. In 1942 the original gate was reopened as a second passage.

New lock

West corner of the castle

The city ​​palace , known as the "New Palace", defines the southeast corner of the city. It has four three-story tracts with a final mezzanine floor. These include a rectangular courtyard. Another L-shaped free-standing two-storey building delimits the courtyard in the southeast. The castle has two stair towers with conical roofs, which were erected in the western corners of the courtyard over an octagonal floor plan. There is an entrance portal on the north-west and south-west side of the castle. The castle was built by master builder Daniel Deutta under Rudolf von Raitenau in the period from 1607–1615. The construction was almost completed around 1620–1625. An existing building in the south-east corner of the city was integrated into the construction. For the construction it should have been necessary to demolish existing town houses. Under Christoph von Lodron , the castle was finally completed and rebuilt by master builder Anton Riebeler in 1651–1654. The building was badly damaged in the town fire in 1792 and was repaired afterwards. In the 1960s a school was established in the castle . The previously existing ditch roofs were converted into hipped roofs and the mezzanine floor was expanded and provided with windows. A gymnasium was added to the east side of the castle. The building is still used as a school today, and it also houses event rooms and a library .

Kennel

Kennel wall at the lower gate

In the period from around 1470–1500, the city wall was preceded by a fence wall on all four sides with the exception of the castle slope. There were also kennel towers and gates (such as at the lower gate). Today the Zwingermauer is still partially preserved on the south and west wall, but no longer up to the level of loopholes or battlements. The period in which the construction of the Zwinger fell was a turbulent time for Gmünd. The Salzburg Archbishop Bernhard von Rohr should in favor of the follower of Emperor Friedrich III. Johann Beckenschlager abdicated, which he did in 1478 . Later, however, he revoked his abdication, which angered the emperor and who therefore declared the archbishop to be deposed and immediately regarded all Salzburg possessions in Carinthia and Styria as imperial. Bernhard von Rohr then entered into an alliance with the anti-imperial King of Hungary Matthias Corvinus and allowed him to occupy his cities, castles and towns in Carinthia and Styria. So Hungarian troops occupied Gmünd in 1480 and carried out raids in Upper Carinthia from then on. Imperial mercenaries also raged in the area, as the emperor regarded the Salzburg possessions as his property. An armistice, laboriously negotiated by the Carinthian provinces, failed in 1482 . 1486 mobilized the estates under Field Captain Reinprecht von Reichenburg against the Hungarians. Gmünd was besieged, but the contingent was too weak. Matthias Corvinus promised Gmünd his help, but it never came. Finally, the son of Reinprecht von Reichenburg, Johann von Reichenburg, moved in 1487 with a Kartaune and smaller guns before Gmünd and shot the city ready for storm. The Hungarians were therefore unable to hold the city and had to leave in May 1487. Gmünd then came into imperial possession. As early as 1502, however, Gmünd was sold again to the Archdiocese of Salzburg under Leonhard von Keutschach.

It is not possible to determine exactly under which city lords the Zwinger complex falls - the Hungarians, the imperial captain or Leonhard von Keutschach. It could have already existed in 1480 or was created during the occupation of the Hungarians. At the southern Zwinger there were four rectangular towers, none of which is completely preserved. In the copper engraving by Gmünd in Valvasor's Topographia archiducatus Carinthiæ antiquæ & modernæ completa , the artist depicted only two of them. The tower in the south-west corner was demolished when the school's gymnasium was built in the New Palace. Century away. The other two towers are still preserved in the foundation walls. In the area of ​​the lower gate, the Zwingermauer has been very much repaired, so it cannot be assessed whether it is still of late Gothic origin or whether it was completely renewed in modern times. In the area of ​​the rectory there is still a part of the late Gothic castle wall. It contains larger beam holes at regular intervals that belonged to a battlement. Part of this wall was probably renewed in the 16th century and equipped with keyhole notches.

literature

  • Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmünd: Castle and city fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011 (185 pages).
  • Dehio manual. The art monuments of Austria. Carinthia. 3rd, enlarged and improved edition. Anton Schroll & Co, Vienna 2001, ISBN 3-7031-0712-X , p. 201-202 .

Web links

Commons : City fortification Gmünd in Carinthia  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Dehio manual. The art monuments of Austria. Carinthia. 3rd, enlarged and improved edition. Anton Schroll & Co, Vienna 2001, ISBN 3-7031-0712-X , p. 201 .
  2. ↑ Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmund: castle and fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011, p. 5 .
  3. ↑ Ulrike Mengeú: Gmünd: Surprising discoveries in Upper Carinthia's oldest city . Gmünd City Association, Gmünd in Carinthia 2017, ISBN 978-3-200-05274-1 , p. 7 .
  4. ^ A b Karl Lax: Excerpt from the history of Gmünd in Carinthia . 2nd, revised edition. Self-published, Gmünd in Carinthia 1950, DNB  574573291 , p. 9 .
  5. ↑ a b Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmund: castle and fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011, p. 90 .
  6. ↑ The Carinthian historical sources in 1202 -1269. First part 1202 −1262. In: August von Jaksch (ed.): Monumenta Historica Ducatus Carinthiae. Historical monuments of the Duchy of Carinthia. tape 4 . Ferdinand von Kleinmeyer, Klagenfurt 1906, p. 416 ( archive.org [accessed December 28, 2019]).
  7. ↑ The Carinthian historical sources in 1269 -1286. In: Hermann Wiessner (Ed.): Monumenta Historica Ducatus Carinthiae. Historical monuments of the Duchy of Carinthia. tape 5 . Ferdinand Kleinmeyer, Klagenfurt 1956, OCLC 163428762 , p. 86-87 , no. 127 .
  8. ^ Karl Lax: From the chronicle of Gmünd in Carinthia . Ed .: Ilse Maria Tschepper-Lax. 4th edition. Self-published, Gmünd in Kärnten 1987, p. 18-19 .
  9. ^ Karl Lax: From the chronicle of Gmünd in Carinthia . Ed .: Ilse Maria Tschepper-Lax. 4th edition. Self-published, Gmünd in Kärnten 1987, p. 20 .
  10. ↑ a b Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmund: castle and fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011, p. 8-9 .
  11. ↑ a b c d e f g h Dehio manual. The art monuments of Austria. Carinthia. 3rd, enlarged and improved edition. Anton Schroll & Co, Vienna 2001, ISBN 3-7031-0712-X , p. 202 .
  12. ^ Karl Lax: Excerpt from the history of Gmünd in Carinthia . 2nd, revised edition. Self-published, Gmünd in Carinthia 1950, DNB  574573291 , p. 11 .
  13. ↑ Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmund: castle and fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011, p. 10 .
  14. ^ Karl Lax: From the chronicle of Gmünd in Carinthia . Ed .: Ilse Maria Tschepper-Lax. 4th edition. Self-published, Gmünd in Kärnten 1987, p. 44-49 .
  15. ↑ Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmund: castle and fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011, p. 11-14, 73 .
  16. ↑ Georg Graber : Legends from Carinthia . 5th edition. Graz 1941 ( haben.at [accessed on December 28, 2019] digital reprint).
  17. ↑ a b Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmund: castle and fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011, p. 86-100 .
  18. ^ Karl Lax: Excerpt from the history of Gmünd in Carinthia . 2nd, revised edition. Self-published, Gmünd in Carinthia 1950, DNB  574573291 , p. 11 .
  19. ↑ a b Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmund: castle and fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011, p. 119-124 .
  20. ↑ a b c Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmund: castle and fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011, p. 107-118 .
  21. ^ Karl Lax: From the chronicle of Gmünd in Carinthia . Ed .: Ilse Maria Tschepper-Lax. 4th edition. Self-published, Gmünd in Kärnten 1987, p. 57 .
  22. ↑ The Carinthian historical sources in 1286 -1300. In: Hermann Wiessner (Ed.): Monumenta Historica Ducatus Carinthiae. Historical monuments of the Duchy of Carinthia. tape 6 . Ferdinand Kleinmeyer, Klagenfurt 1956, OCLC 163428774 , p. 131-132 , no.209 .
  23. ^ Karl Lax: From the chronicle of Gmünd in Carinthia . Ed .: Ilse Maria Tschepper-Lax. 4th edition. Self-published, Gmünd in Kärnten 1987, p. 21 .
  24. ↑ a b c Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmund: castle and fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011, p. 131-136 .
  25. ^ Karl Lax: From the chronicle of Gmünd in Carinthia . Ed .: Ilse Maria Tschepper-Lax. 4th edition. Self-published, Gmünd in Kärnten 1987, p. 56 .
  26. ↑ a b Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmund: castle and fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011, p. 169-175 .
  27. ↑ International guest studio Maltator. In: Kulturinitiative Gmünd. Retrieved December 29, 2019 .
  28. ↑ a b Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmund: castle and fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011, p. 19-56 .
  29. ^ Karl Lax: From the chronicle of Gmünd in Carinthia . Ed .: Ilse Maria Tschepper-Lax. 4th edition. Self-published, Gmünd in Kärnten 1987, p. 92 .
  30. ↑ a b Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmund: castle and fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011, p. 69-71 .
  31. ^ Walter Frodl: Carinthian monument and museum maintenance from 1940 to 1942 . In: Carinthia I . 132nd volume, 1942, ISSN  0008-6606 , p. 290 ( onb.ac.at [accessed December 29, 2019]).
  32. ↑ Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmund: castle and fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011, p. 72-85 .
  33. ↑ Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmund: castle and fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011, p. 11 .
  34. ^ Reinprecht von Reichenburg. In: RegiowikiAT. Accessed December 30, 2019 .
  35. ^ Karl Lax: From the chronicle of Gmünd in Carinthia . Ed .: Ilse Maria Tschepper-Lax. 4th edition. Self-published, Gmünd in Kärnten 1987, p. 44-48 .
  36. ↑ a b Ronald Woldron and Christiane Wolfgang: Gmund: castle and fortifications. Architectural historical investigation. 2011, p. 11, 125−128, 139−140 .
  37. ^ Johann Weichard von Valvasor : Topographia archiducatus Carinthiæ antiquæ & modernæ completa . Endter, Nuremberg 1688, p. 62 ( digital-sammlungen.de [accessed on January 1, 2020]).

Coordinates: 46 ° 54'25 "  N , 13 ° 32'5"  E