Wrangelturm
The Wrangelturm is one of the fortification structures in Königsberg .
Location and importance
The Wrangelturm is located between the former art gallery and the southwest corner of the Oberteich . It is named after Field Marshal Friedrich von Wrangel . It is the counterpart to the Dohna Tower on the southeast corner of the Oberteich. It was built in 1853. Wrangel and Dohna towers, together with the Oberteich, formed the northern corner pillar of the defense system. In terms of design, it is a Montalembert tower , the first draft of which from the 1840s can be traced back to General Ernst Ludwig von Aster , the Inspector General of the Prussian fortresses at the time . From the towers one could fire at large areas of the apron and the lake and keep the cannons of possible attackers at a respectful distance. Both towers are 34 meters in diameter and 12 meters in height. The artillery of the towers was housed in 42 casemates, which were housed on two ring-shaped floors. The upper part of the second floor had an open combat area protected by a serrated parapet. The casemate levels and the upper battle area were connected to one another by the spiral staircases arranged in the inner half-towers. When the Wrangelturm lost its military importance, an art gallery was built under the direction of the Königsberg architect and university professor Friedrich Lahrs in 1913, the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Prussia from Napoleonic rule . Over time, this extension became a kind of museum for the performing arts. At the time, the so-called “ German Michel ” could be seen on the brick wall of a water system at the Wrangelturm . The figure represented a sturdy farmer, whose right hand reached out to sow the grain and the left held a flail by the shoulder. This symbol of German peasantry was created by the sculptor Friedrich Reusch . The strong peasant figure with a flail over his shoulder and 2.20 meters high, when it was finally completed, no longer corresponded to the taste of the time, so that Reusch gave it to the city in 1904. First, the German Michel was placed in the garden of the Prussia Museum ; It was not until 1924 that he found an effective home in the grounds at the Wrangelturm, where he was seen by many people from Königsberg, who immediately took him to their hearts. The statue was lost in World War II , only the base is still there. After many years of neglect, the Wrangelturm is now to be converted into a cultural meeting place. Refurbishment and renovation works worth 1 million rubles, provided by the regional government, began in November 2019.
Corporations
The student military union Harringa and the university guilds “Hermann Balk” and “Skuld” in the German guild body sat in the Wrangelturm .
literature
- Robert Albinus: Königsberg Lexicon. City and surroundings. Special edition. Flechsig, Würzburg 2002, ISBN 3-88189-441-1 .
- Richard Armstedt: history of the royal. Capital and residence city of Königsberg in Prussia. Hobbing & Büchle, Stuttgart 1899 ( German land and life in single descriptions . 2, city stories), (reprint: Melchior-Verlag, Wolfenbüttel 2006, ISBN 3-939102-70-9 ( historical library )).
- Fritz Gause : The history of the city of Königsberg in Prussia. 3 volumes. 2nd / 3rd supplemented edition. Böhlau, Cologne et al. 1996, ISBN 3-412-08896-X .
- Baldur Köster: Königsberg. Architecture from the German era. Husum Druck, Husum 2000, ISBN 3-88042-923-5 .
- Gunnar Strunz: Discover Königsberg. On the way between Memel and Haff. Trescher, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-89794-071-X ( Trescher travel series ).
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 54 ° 43 ' N , 20 ° 31' E