Vorwerk of Ehrenberg Castle
Map with all coordinates: Due to the religious wars that began in the 16th century , the defense of the northern borders of Tyrol gained in importance. The Ehrenberg Castle ( location ) and the hermitage that were previously the only firm works to defend the borders in Reutte were now not enough more. Initially, further crossings were blocked by temporary wooden structures, trenches and earth walls, which were supposed to prevent the enemy from entering. Only in the Thirty Years' War but left Archduke Leopold V and his widow, Archduchess Claudia , strong by brothers Christopher and Elias Gumpp brick fortifications as outworks plan and build.
Ehrwalder Schanze
In 1632 a wooden parapet was built in the Loisach Gorge between Ehrwald and Garmisch-Partenkirchen so that no enemy troops could penetrate into the interior. ( 47 ° 26 ′ N , 10 ° 55 ′ E )
Securing the Tannheim Valley
Due to the width of the valley, it was impossible to build a meaningful defense system in the Tannheimer Tal. In 1632 there was probably only one earth wall at the border at Vilsrain near Schattwald , which was repaired by residents there in 1638.
Fortifications on the Gacht near Weißenbach
The natural bottleneck of the Gachtpass between Weißenbach and the Tannheimer Tal was an excellent place to build a defense system. However, a bulwark was not hastily built until 1632, when the Swedes were already nearby. This consisted of a barrier wall, a gate with a wooden superstructure and palisades. Although the Gachtfestung fell a little later, Elias Gumpp, the master builder Archduchess Claudias , found the place to be ideal and so further construction work began in 1645, which, however, remained unfinished. The second redoubt planned by Elias Gumpp was not built until 1670 . When the French threatened Tyrol in 1694, under the master builder Johann Martin Gumpp d. Ä. the barrier wall was raised and a second gate was added. ( 47 ° 27 ′ N , 10 ° 37 ′ E )
Sternschanze at the Kniepass
The main traffic route from Reutte to Füssen led over the Kniepass , which thus represented an important strategic point in the defense of Ehrenberg . Due to the nature of the terrain, the place was ideal for a defense system, as the road climbed quite steeply and next to it the Lech flowed through a gorge. During the threat to Sweden in the Thirty Years' War , the primitive ski jumping hill that had existed since the beginning of the war was expanded. In 1632 the complex was partially destroyed and then renewed and reinforced, a drawbridge was built and the wooden parapet was partly replaced by masonry. In 1647 and 1670 further construction work was carried out to improve the ski jump. Under the architect Johann Martin Gumpp d. Ä. A roundabout was built down against the Lech in 1694, the defensive walls were raised and reinforced with loopholes and watchtowers, and the fortification of the cooling hole was renewed. In 1800 the knee pass fortress was burned down by the invading French and only rebuilt fifteen years later as a toll-collecting apartment. ( 47 ° 31 ′ 42.5 ″ N , 10 ° 42 ′ 18.7 ″ E )
Lechschanze
The Lechschanze was the continuation of the Kniepass fortress on the opposite bank of the Lech and secured the narrow passage between the Lech Gorge and the Siebelerberg . In 1632, during the threat to Sweden, fortifications were hastily built there. Previously only earth walls were probably raised in this passage when there was a risk of war. In 1646 the fortification was renovated according to plans by Christoph Gumpp . In 1695, however, it was already dilapidated and further construction work began, which only progressed faster after the Bavarians had conquered Ehrenberg in 1703. The Lechschanze formed a small guardhouse and a bastion with a moat and palisade. Furthermore, a defensive wall secured the free space between Lech and Berg. ( 47 ° 31 ′ 33 ″ N , 10 ° 41 ′ 25 ″ E )
Roßschlägschanze
The ski jump in the natural narrowness of the Roßschläg was built in 1632 by the Innsbruck militia under Captain Mor, which is why it is also called "Morenschanze". During the invasion of the Swedes under Duke Bernhard von Weimar , a blockhouse, a ditch, parapets made of earth and palisades were destroyed, but then renewed. In 1695, according to the design by Johann Martin Gumpp the Elder, Ä. a Vorwerk built in front of the gate. In 1704, after the invasion of Bavaria, the ski jump was rebuilt in such a way that everyone first had to pass the foreworks, which consisted of palisades, and then the drawbridge over the moat to get to the gate tower in the middle of the hornworks. ( 47 ° 31 ′ N , 10 ° 41 ′ E )
Smaller jumps
The road over the Stiglberg near Pinswang was secured by a wooden Landwehr with a passage gate in the middle. On July 29, 1632 the abandoned Stieglschanze was set on fire by the enemy and not rebuilt. In 1646 a barrier and parapets were allegedly made there, but the place was not ideal for a defense and is therefore not mentioned later. In the vicinity of the Plansee there was a small ski jump on the Roßücken and a wooden hermitage, the so-called gate pillar, on the way into the Ammerwald.
Continuity of the Vorwerke
In 1782, all the works, with the exception of Ehrwalder Schanze, were opened for auction. In the Second World War , the Vorwerke gained even more importance when the Americans wanted to penetrate into Ausserfern. In 1945 entrenchments and anti-tank barriers were built in the Enge near Grän , on the Gachtpass and near the Roßschläg, but these proved to be useless. Up until the turn of the millennium, the outworks had been forgotten and fell into disrepair, as no one took care of the necessary maintenance. After 2000, however, the remains of the Sternschanze above the Kniepass could be cleared and renovated. The renovation is related to the expansion of the "Burgenwelten Ehrenberg". In the meantime, the importance of the fortress ensemble around Reutte , which is unique in Central Europe, has also been recognized by local politics and tourism associations . The scientific community is also increasingly concerned with the fortress system integrated into the Ostallgäu-Ausserfern castle region . The Allgäu castle region was designed and established north of the state border in 2004 . The ensemble around Ehrenberg Castle also offers visitors to the "Allgäu Castle Region" the opportunity to study early modern fortress construction in the region.
literature
- Richard Lipp: Ehrenberg. History and stories. Publications of the museum association of the Reutte II district (Reutte 2006). ISBN 3-9502282-0-9 , ISBN 978-3-9502282-0-5 .
- Josef Weingartner: The Ernberg Fortress and its pre-passes. In: Ausserferner book. Contributions to local history from Ausserfern, Schlern-Schriften 111 (Innsbruck 1955) 145–156.
- Josef Weingartner: Tyrolean castle lore. History, residents, layout and decay of the castles, village castles, city fortifications, Klausen and Schanzen (Innsbruck 1950).