Nordertor im Schnee (Flensburg, Januar 2014)

The Nordertor ( da, Nørreport) is an old

town gate A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish, Low Saxon: ''Flensborg''; North Frisian: ''Flansborj''; South Jutlandic: ''Flensborre'') is an independent town (''kreisfreie Stadt'') in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, which was built around 1595. Today the

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...

is used as a symbol for Flensburg.

History

The

town wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

of Flensburg was built step by step from 1345 onwards. A town gate, named ''Norder Porte'', was built in the northern section of the wall. At the end of the 16th century it was replaced by the Nordertor, a building with

stepped gables A stepped gable, crow-stepped gable, or corbie step is a stairstep type of design at the top of the triangular gable-end of a building. The top of the parapet wall projects above the roofline and the top of the brick or stone wall is stacked in a ...

and

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

way. At this time the Nordertor marked the northern boundary of the town. It was a checkpoint that was closed at night. On the north face of the gate are two

plaques Plaque may refer to: Commemorations or awards * Commemorative plaque, a plate or tablet fixed to a wall to mark an event, person, etc. * Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military personnel after World War I * Pla ...

. The left one bears the royal coat of arms of King Christian IV, 1577-1648 and the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

words: ''Regna Firmat Pietas'' — Piety strengthens the Realm. The right one bears the coat of arms of Flensburg with the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

words: ''Friede ernährt, Unfrieden verzehrt'' —

Peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

nurtures,

strife Strife may refer to: Mythology *Eris (mythology), in Greek mythology the goddess of discord, whose name means 'strife' *Bellona (goddess), Roman counterpart of Eris, and a war goddess *Enyalius, a son of Eris and god of strife * Tano Akora, god of ...

devours. Also to be seen is the date of renovation, inscribed as "Renov. 1767". The town gate was

restored ''Restored'' is the fourth studio album by American contemporary Christian music musician Jeremy Camp. It was released on November 16, 2004 by BEC Recordings. Track listing Standard release Enhanced edition Deluxe gold edition Standard ...

in the time of Christian VII, 1749-1808. The left plaque is most likely the older of the two, possibly from the time when the Nordertor was built. In 1796 a ban on building outside the town walls ended, and the town began to expand beyond. The suburb of Neustadt (Danish: ''Nystaden'', meaning ''Newtown'') was built in the neighborhood of the Nordertor. In 1913/14 the gate was restored by the

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Paul Ziegler, and a clock was installed. In 1966 the Deutsche Bundespost issued a 30

Pfennig The 'pfennig' (; . 'pfennigs' or ; symbol pf or ₰) or penny is a former German coin or note, which was the official currency from the 9th century until the introduction of the euro in 2002. While a valuable coin during the Middle Ages, i ...

stamp Stamp or Stamps or Stamping may refer to: Official documents and related impressions * Postage stamp, used to indicate prepayment of fees for public mail * Ration stamp, indicating the right to rationed goods * Revenue stamp, used on documents to ...

with the gate's image. Over 3 billion of these stamps for letter post were sold. In the 1990s the gate was again restored and the clock was removed. In 2004 the gate was licensed as a venue for

civil wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriag ...

s, so that weddings are now performed in a room above the archway of the gate.Heinz Taufel, Kay Wohlsen: ''Flensburg'', Glossary: Nordertor Blick vom ehemaligen Standort Norderporten in die Richtung zum Nordertor.JPG, View from the original site of the ''Norder Porte'' to the Nordertor today Wappen auf dem Nordertor.JPG, The coats of arms and the mottos File:Nordertor (1972).jpg, The Nordertor 1972 Flensburg-staedtische-strassenbahn-tw-35-725647.jpg, Flensburg's tramway in front of the Nordertor in 1972

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Flensburg Landmarks in Germany Gates in Germany Fortifications in Germany