Watch tower (Weingarten)
The watch tower in Weingarten in Baden is a lookout tower built in 1589 .
history
The watch tower was built in 1589 as a spy tower with a viewing platform, helmet roof and bell rider . A contemporary oil painting from 1610 shows its appearance at that time. It served the Palatinate troops as an escort point to secure the trade routes to Frankfurt , Nuremberg , Augsburg and Basel . Due to its size, the tower never served as an escape tower for the population, who fled to the neighboring forests in case of danger.
The tower, which was built of stone and whose internal structure was made of wood, burned for the first time in the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) or as a result. Another destruction took place in 1689 by General Mélac , who caused severe damage to all of Weingarten.
The next mentions of the watch tower are known from court records around 1800. From these documents it can be seen that the watch tower was used as a prison. In a pen drawing by the Land Surveyor's Office, the tower is noted as a trigonometric high point in 1825 .
In 1884 the watch tower was renovated. The local history researcher Pastor Albert Nikolaus reports on a dispute in which the then modern pinnacle roof of the Grand Ducal District Building Inspectorate with a pinnacle wreath ultimately prevailed.
On June 14, 1938, Reichsfeldmarschall Hermann Göring visited the watch tower. The tower was damaged by shells during World War II, but the damage was quickly repaired after the war.
To commemorate those who fell in the last three great wars, a 2.5 m high angel relief and a plaque were attached to the tower in 1956. The relief comes from the Heidelberg artist Edzard Hobbing .
Another renovation took place in 1988, but its original appearance was not restored, so that it now has a flat roof.
Inside the tower, which is open to the public free of charge on Sundays and public holidays, there is a museum with information about the vineyard and the history of the watch tower.
Web links
Coordinates: 49 ° 3 ′ 8.8 ″ N , 8 ° 31 ′ 55.8 ″ E