Znaimertor
The Znaimertor in the Znaimerturm was, together with the Nalbertor, one of the two city gates of the city of Retz in Lower Austria .
history
The city of Retz was founded in the immediate vicinity of Retz's old town and laid out according to plan. The two city gates in the Znaimerturm and the Nalberturm also date from around 1300.
In the course of the reconstruction of Retz after the conquest by the Hussites in 1425, so-called gate works were built in front of the city gates. Outside the city walls, the street in front of the Znaimertor led through a kinked doorway, which was interrupted by a gate and secured by another gate on the gate wall.
In 1552 a bell is mentioned on the Znojmo tower and in 1553 a tower clock.
In view of the danger posed by the Swedish troops , the imperial order was issued in June 1639 to put the town of Retz in a state of defense. On this occasion, the Znaimer and Nalberturm were equipped with tiled roofs. The Nalbertor was closed, the Znaimertor was the only way to leave or enter the city.
Around 1730 the partially desolate city wall was repaired and in 1733 the street in the Znaimertor was paved. Since the Znaimerturm was also dilapidated, it should be demolished and replaced by a smaller tower. In 1736 the tower was finally renovated and given the hipped roof in its current form.
In the course of a 1784 review of the administration of the town's property and orphan's funds carried out by the district office in Korneuburg , it was criticized that the town hall had no apartment for the town clerk and no rooms for a town chancellery. Since the city but the necessary financial resources for the conversion could not muster one wanted to the Znaimer- and Nalberturm along with the contents of the local armories sell. However, there were no interested parties.
With the construction of the first houses in place of the city wall in the area of the Znaimerturm in 1794 and 1795, the abandonment of the city fortifications was initiated. The demolition of the outer archway of the gate and the moat walls in this area followed in 1817. The building sites thus freed up were built in 1821. Around 1840 the gate wings at the Znaimer and Nalbertor were removed, and the city toll at the city gates was stopped in 1870.
On July 15, 1866 there was an exchange of fire in front of the Znaimertor between six Austrian dragoons and Prussian troops advancing from Znaim , whereby one Prussian was killed.
In 1878 the masonry of the Znojmo tower was repaired. The roof and the 170 × 145 centimeter double eagle at the top have been renewed. In 1885 an outlet well was put into operation at the Znaimertor as the third water extraction point for the newly constructed water pipe.
In 1923 the remnants of the city fortifications including the Znojmo tower that remained in the city's possession were placed under monument protection. In 1925 a fire siren was installed on the tower .
Others
- During the plague epidemic of 1679/1680, the residents of Retz-Altstadt vowed to build a chapel dedicated to the plague patrons Rochus, Sebastian and Rosalia. This was built in 1681 in front of the Znaimertor. In 1786 it was blocked as a result of the Josephine reforms and canceled in 1788.
- In front of the Znaimertor the rulers set up a place of execution for the sword . As a result of the legal situation at the time, the rulers had to ask the town council of Retz for permission to lead a person sentenced to death by the sword from Gatterburg Castle through the town to the place of execution. The city later set up its own place of execution for the sword in front of the Nalbertor.
- In addition to the pillory on the main square, the Znaimertor was also a place where shameful punishments were carried out.
literature
- Rudolf Resch: Retz Heimatbuch - Volume II: from the beginning of the modern era to the present , publishing house of the Retz municipality, 1951
- DEHIO Lower Austria - north of the Danube , ISBN 3-7031-0652-2 (1990)
Web links
Coordinates: 48 ° 45 ′ 30.9 ″ N , 15 ° 57 ′ 7 ″ E