Petersberg Citadel (German:''Zitadelle Petersberg'') in
Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...
, central Germany, is one of the largest
and best-preserved town fortresses in Europe.
[Stadtverwaltung Erfurt (17 November 2017)]
''Petersberg''
Retrieved 23 December 2017 The
citadel
A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
In ...
was built on Petersberg hill, in the north-western part of the old town centre from 1665, when Erfurt was governed by the
Electorate of Mainz
The Electorate of Mainz (german: Kurfürstentum Mainz or ', la, Electoratus Moguntinus), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the ...
.
[Kogel, Kristina (2011). ''Erfurt an einem Tag. Ein Stadtrundgang''. Leipzig: Lehmstadt Verlag] It is surrounded by over two kilometres of stone walls and is 36 hectares in size.
[Erfurt Tourismus & Marketin]
Petersberg Citadel (pdf)
. Retrieved 2 January 2013
Erfurt has also been ruled by Sweden, Prussia, Napoleon, the German Empire, the Nazis, and post-World War II Soviet occupying forces, and it was part of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). All of these regimes used Petersberg Citadel and had an influence on its development. The
baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
fortress was in military use until 1963.
[Steffen Raßloff (2012). Geschichte der Stadt Erfurt. Erfurt: Sutton Verlag.] Since
German reunification
German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
in 1990, the citadel has undergone significant restoration and it is now open to the public as a historic site. Its maze of underground passageways are also open to visitors and the fortress bakery (1832) is again in working order.
[Verein der Freunde der Citadelle Petersberg zu Erfurt
e.V. (2015). ''350 Jahre Zitadelle Petersberg. Tagungsband: Wissenschaftliches Kolloquim zum 350. Jahrestages der Grundsteinlegung der Zitadelle Petersberg vom 29. Mai bis 31 Mai 2015. Universität Erfurt''.]
The fortress is also known by its French name, ''Citadelle Petersberg'', as French troops were stationed there from 1806 to 1814, when Erfurt was under
Napoleonic occupation. Napoleon visited Erfurt several times and the citadel was further developed during his rule, although parts of it were damaged in a battle in 1813.
[ ''1806–1814: Erfurt unter französischer Besetzung. Erfurt Stadtverwaltung''](_blank)
Retrieved 23 December 2017
The citadel was built on the site of a medieval Benedictine Monastery and the earliest parts of the complex date from the 12th century.
[Friedrich, Verena (2003). ''Die ehemalige Benediktinerklosterkirche St. Peter and Paul, Erfurt''. Regensburg: Verlag Schnell & Steiner]
The former lower barracks (German:''Untere Kaserne'') building is now used to house and administer archives of the
Stasi Records Agency , commonly known as the )
, dissolved = June 17, 2021
, superseding1 =
, agency_type = Former Secret Police Archive
, jurisdiction =
, status = Dissolved, now part of the German Federal Archives ...
.
The , is a smaller fortress to the south-west of Erfurt city centre, which dates from 1480. It is now the home of the German Horticulture Museum. During the Napoleonic period a hidden trench connecting the two citadels was built. The remains of this connection can still be seen at the Cyriaksburg Citadel today.
History
Background
![Erfurt Petersberg 1730](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Erfurt_Petersberg_1730.jpg)
Petersberg Citadel is entwined with the history of Erfurt. The city was first mentioned in 742 in a letter from
St Boniface
Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations o ...
to
Pope Zachary, when the Catholic Diocese of Erfurt was established. It was part of the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
, and was brought into the
Diocese of Mainz
The Diocese of Mainz, historically known in English as ''Mentz'' as well as by its French name ''Mayence'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. It was founded in 304, promoted in 780 to Metrop ...
in 755. The earliest archaeological find from the Middle Ages on Petersberg hill is a coin dating from c.850, from the time of
Lothair I
Lothair I or Lothar I (Dutch and Medieval Latin: ''Lotharius''; German: ''Lothar''; French: ''Lothaire''; Italian: ''Lotario'') (795 – 29 September 855) was emperor (817–855, co-ruling with his father until 840), and the governor of Bavar ...
, Holy Roman Emperor from 817 to 855. It was found in a grave, in the mouth of the deceased.
[''Stadt Erfurt. Archäologischer Wanderführer Thüringen''. Weimar: Landesamt für Archäologie, 2005]
The oldest surviving building in the citadel is the Peterskirche (St. Peters Church), which was part of the
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
Monastery of St Peter and Paul, after which the hill, and subsequently the citadel, was named. The first recorded evidence of the monastery is from 1060, but it may have existed a considerable time before that.
[Stadtverwaltung Erfur]
''Kirchen in Erfurt: Peterskirche''
Retrieved 26 December 2017 The original building burned down in 1080, but was rebuilt from 1103 to 1147 and St Peter's Church is from this second period.
In 1184, the
Erfurt latrine disaster
The Erfurt latrine disaster occurred in July 1184, when Henry VI, King of Germany (later Holy Roman Emperor), held a ''Hoftag'' (informal assembly) in the Petersberg Citadel in Erfurt. On the morning of 26 July, the combined weight of the ass ...
occurred in this building, where a meeting of nobles from around the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a Polity, political entity in Western Europe, Western, Central Europe, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its Dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire, dissolution i ...
fell through the floor into the latrine, with at least 60 drowning.
The city gradually grew more independent during the 12th century, and in 1217 it became fully independent with the founding of its own city council. From 1066 until 1873 the old town of Erfurt was encircled by a fortified wall. About 1168 this was extended to run around the western side of Petersberg hill, enclosing it within the city boundaries.
[Stadtverwaltung Erfurt (4 September 2012)]
''Stadtbefestigung einst und jetzt''
Retrieved 28 December 2017 About 1625 the city council had the city wall at the Petersberg strengthened by building a large
hornwork
A hornwork is an element of the Italian bastion system of fortification. Its face is flanked with a pair of demi-bastions.
It is distinguished from a crownwork, because crownworks contain full bastions at their centers. They are both outwork
...
and two
bastions. These are the bastions named Gabriel and Michael. During the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
(1618–1648), Erfurt was occupied by Swedish forces from 1631. The Swedish king,
Gustav II Adolf
Gustavus Adolphus (9 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S_19_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/now ...
, hoped to build a fortress on Petersberg hill, but he died in 1632 and the plans never came to fruition. However, the Swedes did strengthen the existing Bastion Gabriel in 1643. In 1664 the city and the surrounding area were conquered by the
Electorate of Mainz
The Electorate of Mainz (german: Kurfürstentum Mainz or ', la, Electoratus Moguntinus), previously known in English as Mentz and by its French name Mayence, was one of the most prestigious and influential states of the Holy Roman Empire. In the ...
. On 1 June 1665 the foundation stone of Petersberg Citadel was laid.
Building of the citadel
The formal first construction phase lasted from 1665 to 1707, following an order from
Johann Philipp von Schönborn
Johann Philipp von Schönborn (6 August 1605 – 12 February 1673) was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz (1647–1673), the Bishop of Würzburg (1642–1673), and the Bishop of Worms (1663–1673).
Life
Johann Philipp was born in ...
(1605–1673), Archbishop-Elector of Mainz and Bishop of Würzburg and Worms, to build the citadel. Von Schönborn had recently conquered Erfurt and wanted to build the fortress to demonstrate his power to the local population, in order to suppress any ideas of rebellion.
A plan that the Erfurt architect
:de:Caspar Vogel (c.1660–1663) had created for the Swedish king Gustav II Adolf served as a basic model for the citadel, and the work was substantially influenced by
:de:Antonio Petrini (c.1620–1701) the architect to the imperial court of Mainz.
This included the building of the walls,
bastions, the
ravelins
A ravelin is a triangular fortification or detached outwork, located in front of the innerworks of a fortress (the curtain walls and bastions). Originally called a ''demi-lune'', after the '' lunette'', the ravelin is placed outside a cast ...
called Anselm and Lotha, the main gateway (''Peterstor'') and commandant building, three barracks, which are among the oldest surviving barracks in Germany, and the tunnels within the walls, called ''Horchgänge'' in German, meaning the 'listening passages'.
[Kürsten, O. (1943). ''Der Petersberg: die Akropolis von Erfurt''. Gotha: Engelhard-Reyher-Verlag][Moritz, Horst (2001). ''Die Festung Petersberg unter Kurmainz 1664–1802''. Erfurt: Stadtmuseum Erfurt]
The second construction phase was from 1707 to 1728, under the direction of the architect
Maximilian von Welsch Johann Maximilian von Welsch (1671 – 15 October 1745) was a German architect, construction director and fortress master builder.
Life
Maximilian von Welsch is regarded as a prominent representative of baroque fortress building in the Holy Roman ...
(1671–1745), who was made an imperial knight with the title ''Edler von Welsch'' for his services to architecture by
Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor
, house = Habsburg
, spouse =
, issue =
, issue-link = #Children
, issue-pipe =
, father = Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor
, mother = Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg
, birth_date ...
in 1714. Welsch put special emphasis on the reinforcement of the fortress and trench defenses.
Erfurt became part of the
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...
in 1802, to compensate Prussia for its territories on the left bank of the Rhine that were lost to France.
However, on 16 October 1806 Erfurt was handed over to French forces in what is known as the
Capitulation of Erfurt
In the Capitulation of Erfurt on 16 October 1806 a large body of troops from the Kingdom of Prussia under Lieutenant General the Prince of Orange surrendered to Marshal Joachim Murat of France, at the city of Erfurt (now in Germany). The Pruss ...
, which followed the Prussian defeat in the
Battle of Jena–Auerstedt
The twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt (; older spelling: ''Auerstädt'') were fought on 14 October 1806 on the plateau west of the river Saale in today's Germany, between the forces of Napoleon I of France and Frederick William III of Pruss ...
.
Napoleonic period (1806–1814)
![Peterskloster 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Peterskloster_2.jpg)
French troops were stationed at Erfurt from 1806 to 1814, when Erfurt was under Napoleonic occupation.
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
arrived in the city on 23 June 1807, and created the
Principality of Erfurt
The Principality of Erfurt (german: Fürstentum Erfurt; french: Principauté d'Erfurt) was a small state in modern Thuringia, Germany, that existed from 1807 to 1814, comprising the modern city of Erfurt and the surrounding land. It was subordi ...
, which he ruled directly himself.
Napoleon visited Erfurt a number of times during the French occupation. He took a particular interest in Petersberg Citadel.
[Kaiser, Klaus-Dieter (2007). ''Erfurt als Garnison und Festung 1813–1873''. Berlin: Klaus-Dieter Kaiser. ] He stayed in Erfurt from 27 September to 14 October 1808, when he meet with Tsar
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg.
The son of ...
for the
Congress of Erfurt
The Congress of Erfurt was the meeting between Napoleon, Emperor of the French, and Alexander I, Emperor of All Russia, from Tuesday 27 September to Friday 14 October 1808 intended to reaffirm the alliance concluded the previous year with the ...
. The two leaders visited Petersberg Citadel together during the Congress.
He also went to Erfurt on 15 December 1812 on his return from Russia to France, and from 25–28 April 1813. On 21 April 1813 he had ordered that Petersberg Citadel should be strengthened and equipped so that it could support 2000 men under siege for six months. Both French troops and civilian residents of Erfurt were put to work on the project, with over 3000 civilians working on building the ditches that surround the external walls. The work was carried both day and night, used flaming torches to see by.
During this time a hidden trench connecting Petersburg and Cyriaksburg citadels was built, the remains of which can still be seen at Cyriaksburg today.
On 4 November 1813 Prussian, Austrian and Russian forces drew in on Erfurt and sought to get the French to surrender and leave Petersberg Citadel. There was no surrender and fire was opened on the citadel on 6 November, at six o'clock in the morning. A number of buildings caught fire, including the main guardhouse, monastery building, and parts of St. Peter's Church. One hundred and twenty-one houses in the town centre below the citadel were also destroyed.
The French didn't surrender, but there was an extended truce and at the beginning of January 1814, the city of Erfurt was handed over to the Prussians, although the French troops remained in the Petersberg and Cyriaksburg citadels. When
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
was captured by allied troops in April 1814, the Napoleonic troops still remained in Petersberg citadel. It was not until 5 May 1814 that French General Alexandre d'Alton surrendered and handed the citadel over peacefully to the Prussians.
Prussian rule (1814–1871)
![RavelinAnselm 3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/RavelinAnselm_3.jpg)
When the Prussians took back the citadel in 1814, they began a new building phase which lasted until 1868. They wanted to make the fortress "bomb proof", and resilient to the strength of the latest weapons. During this period they built the Defence Barracks, the fortress bakery, wells, latrines, and
caponiers
A caponier is a type of defensive structure in a fortification. Fire from this point could cover the ditch beyond the curtain wall to deter any attempt to storm the wall. The word originates from the French ', meaning "chicken coop" (a ''capon'' ...
. A caponier is part of a fortification built in a ditch to provided covered defence to the ditch and/or access to outer parts of the fort.
German Empire (1871–1918)
After
German Unification
The unification of Germany (, ) was the process of building the modern German nation state with federal features based on the concept of Lesser Germany (one without multinational Austria), which commenced on 18 August 1866 with adoption of t ...
in 1871, Erfurt became part of the newly created
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
. The threat to the city from its Saxon neighbours and from Bavaria was no longer present, so it was decided to dismantle the city walls. Only a few remnants remain today.
In June 1873
Emperor Wilhelm I
William I or Wilhelm I (german: Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig; 22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888) was King of Prussia from 2 January 1861 and German Emperor from 18 January 1871 until his death in 1888. A member of the House of Hohenzollern, he was the f ...
gave orders for the Petersberg and Cyriaksburg citadels to be pulled down, but due to lack of funds this was mostly not done. Two ravelins (Peter and Wilhelm) and the
hornwork
A hornwork is an element of the Italian bastion system of fortification. Its face is flanked with a pair of demi-bastions.
It is distinguished from a crownwork, because crownworks contain full bastions at their centers. They are both outwork
...
along the walls were removed. An access road was built and
Lunette
A lunette (French ''lunette'', "little moon") is a half-moon shaped architectural space, variously filled with sculpture, painted, glazed, filled with recessed masonry, or void.
A lunette may also be segmental, and the arch may be an arc take ...
I was demolished and Lunette II and Ravelin Gabriel were reduced in height. The rubble was used to fill in the ditches.
[Moritz, Horst (2002). ''Die Festung Petersberg unter Preußen 1802–1918''. Erfurt: Stadtmuseum Erfurt]
Prior to World War I there was a renewed interest in the strategic military location of Petersberg Citadel. New buildings, such as workshops, warehouses, barracks and a military detention centre were built between 1912 and 1914.
Post World War I
The fortress remained an important garrison position until the end of the war in 1918. After World War I, as a result of the
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
in 1919, there was a gradual abandonment of military facilities during the
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic (german: link=no, Weimarer Republik ), officially named the German Reich, was the government of Germany from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional federal republic for the first time in history; hence it is al ...
period. Petersberg was used for garden allotments and by the civil police, who had a detention centre, garages, workshops and stores on the site.
Nazi period (1933–1945)
![Arrestanstalt 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Arrestanstalt_1.jpg)
When the Nazis came to power in 1933, they again brought the citadel into military use. They built gun
casemates
A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary
When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" mea ...
, and from 1935 divisional army units, reserve army units and the district army recruitment office were based there.
Also from 1935, the Nazis used parts of the citadel as a prison for the internment of their political enemies, such as communists and trade unionists. They were kept in a police detention centre originally built to accommodate up to 60 prisoners, but at its peak 241 internees were crowded into the facility. Many of the internees were sent directly from Petersberg citadel to
concentration camps
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
. Some were murdered by the Nazis at the citadel itself. The Nazis also had a military court at the citadel for dealing with people such as
deserters
Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which a ...
, which could pronounce death sentences on those being tried, and sometimes these people were immediately executed at the citadel. Today there is a memorial to those mistreated by the Nazis at the site.
Some war damage was sustained, including the 12th century Leonhardskirche (St Leonard's Church) which was totally destroyed in an air raid. The church had been converted into an artillery store.
Post World War II
At the end of World War II, Erfurt was liberated by American forces in April 1945, and handed over to the Soviet administration on 3 July 1945, as agreed at the
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference (codenamed Argonaut), also known as the Crimea Conference, held 4–11 February 1945, was the World War II meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union to discuss the post ...
, held in February 1945. In 1944 a transit camp for displaced people had been established in the Defense Barracks, and this continued operating under the occupying Soviet administration after the war.
In 1949 the
Soviet Occupied Zone became the
German Democratic Republic
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 ...
(East Germany).
[ From 1947 Peterberg Citadel was used mainly for civil purposes, with barracks being used by the civil police. From 1956 until 1963 the East German Army (German: ''Nationale Volksarmee'') used the citadel and its barracks, but they then moved to new facilities on the outskirts of the city. After that the main users of site were the police, for storing equipment, and a garden allotment association. The ]Stasi
The Ministry for State Security, commonly known as the (),An abbreviation of . was the Intelligence agency, state security service of the East Germany from 1950 to 1990.
The Stasi's function was similar to the KGB, serving as a means of maint ...
, whose prison and district headquarters were immediately below the citadel, had warehouses and workshops on the site for their motor pool until 1990. The rest of the citadel was unused and plants were allowed to naturally regrow.
Restoration
After German reunification in 1990, a massive project to restore the citadel was begun. It is the largest such project undertaken by the Erfurt city council and it is funded by the city council and the Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
n state and German federal governments. Over 300 people were temporarily employed. Most buildings added since 1868 were removed, most earlier buildings, including the 12th century St Peter's Church, were restored or stabilised, ditches were cleared and walls and bastions were repaired, the ''horchgänge'' (listening passages) were cleared, and the 1832 wood-fired fortress bakery was brought back into working order. As at January 2018, the restoration is still on-going.
Main buildings and structures
Walls
The citadel is surrounded by 2,180 metres of stone walls, which were erected in the first building phase, beginning in 1665. They form the star-shaped ground plan of the citadel, made with eight bastions and four ravelins and are between 1.2 and 6 metres thick, and from 8 to 26 metres high. There are small look-out towers built into the walls. There are now only three ravelins as Ravelin Wilhelm was removed in the 19th century.[
There are tunnels within the walls, called the ''Horchgänge'' in German, meaning the 'listening passages'. At the time the citadel was first built there were no trenches or moats beyond the wall, so the ''Horchgänge'' were constructed so that soldiers could walk through them to listen for anyone trying to tunnel into the fortress.]
Gate and Commandant Building (''Peterstor & Kommandantenhaus'')
The Peterstor, the main entrance to the citadel, was built from 1666 to 1668. It was designed by Antonio Petrini and bears the coat of arms of Johann Philipp von Schönborn
Johann Philipp von Schönborn (6 August 1605 – 12 February 1673) was the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz (1647–1673), the Bishop of Würzburg (1642–1673), and the Bishop of Worms (1663–1673).
Life
Johann Philipp was born in ...
(1605–1673), the Archbishop-Elector of Mainz. In 1993 the two wooden portcullis
A portcullis (from Old French ''porte coleice'', "sliding gate") is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down gr ...
were reconstructed within the double archway entrance. The script above the gateway which reads "Citadelle Petersberg", was installed in 1861.
The Commandant Building was built in 1669 by an Italian construction team. From 1939 to 1945 it was used as a military court by the Nazis. It was restored in 1998 and is now used by Tanztenne Petersberg, a dance school for traditional Thuringian folkdancing.
St Peter's Church (''Peterskirche'')
The Peterskirche, the 75 metre-long monastery church, was built between 1103 and 1147. It originally had two towers at its east end, which along with the
towers of the Erfurt cathedral and the Severikirche, dominated the city skyline. Until the end of the 13th century, Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire and German kings often held court in the church. Church synods also took place there. In November 1181 an Imperial Diet was held in the church, presided over by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I, known as ''Barbarossa''. There Barbarossa's cousin Henry the Lion
Henry the Lion (german: Heinrich der Löwe; 1129/1131 – 6 August 1195) was a member of the Welf dynasty who ruled as the duke of Saxony and Bavaria from 1142 and 1156, respectively, until 1180.
Henry was one of the most powerful German p ...
submitted to the emperor's authority after several years of opposition and war, and ceded most of his lands.
During the Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...
(1618–1648) Erfurt was occupied from 1631 by the troops of Gustav II Adolf
Gustavus Adolphus (9 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">N.S_19_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Old Style and New Style dates">N.S 19 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="/now ...
of Sweden. In 1632, the Swedes briefly dissolved the monastery and temporarily converted it into a Protestant monastery in 1633. After the occupation only three monks remained. The church was damaged and the treasures and stores of the monastery were plundered. The damage to the church was repaired in the first and second building phases of citadel, in 1672 and 1727. In 1765 its interior was baroqueized by Italian plasterers.
In 1803 the monastery was secularised
In sociology, secularization (or secularisation) is the transformation of a society from close identification with religious values and institutions toward non-religious values and secular institutions. The ''secularization thesis'' expresses the ...
. On 6 November 1813 Prussian troops bombarded the French occupied citadel and much of it caught fire, including the church and monastery buildings. The monastery buildings, other than the church, were later then completely removed by Prussian forces who took possession of citadel in May 1814. From 1820 the remaining church was used as a store for flour and military provisions. The towers were dismantled, a new roof was built and three storage levels were constructed inside. In spite of these alterations, the building still has traces of medieval and baroque architectural details, sculpture and paintwork, and the monumental size of the building can still be appreciated.
Since 1993 the church has been used as an exhibition space for international concrete art Concrete art was an art movement with a strong emphasis on geometrical abstraction. The term was first formulated by Theo van Doesburg and was then used by him in 1930 to define the difference between his vision of art and that of other abstract art ...
, i.e. art which places a strong emphasis on geometrical abstraction. It has nothing to do with concrete, the building material.
Defense Barracks (''Defensionkaserne'')
The Defense Barracks, by far the largest building on Petersberg Citadel, was built from 1828 to
1831 by the Prussian administration, on the site of the former monastery building which had been
damage by fire in 1813 and later demolished.
The building is 167 metres long and 18.8 metres wide. The external walls are up to 2 metres thick. It could accommodate approximately 500 soldiers and was built primarily as an artillery position to hinder enemy access to the upper plateau of the citadel from the north. After the unification of Germany
The unification of Germany (, ) was the process of building the modern German nation state with federalism, federal features based on the concept of Lesser Germany (one without multinational Austria), which commenced on 18 August 1866 with ad ...
in 1871, the building was mainly used for housing soldiers and
for storage. In 1912–1913 it was remodelled and expanded with a neo-Baroque style mansard roof
A mansard or mansard roof (also called a French roof or curb roof) is a four-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope, punctured by dormer windows, at a steeper angle than the upper. The ...
and the addition of large dormer windows on both sides of the building. After this it was then able to accommodate 750 soldiers.
After the end of World War I in 1918, as a result of the Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June ...
in 1919, there was gradual decline in use of military facilities in Germany. The barracks was used as residential building and as quarters for the civil police and the Freikorps
(, "Free Corps" or "Volunteer Corps") were irregular German and other European military volunteer units, or paramilitary, that existed from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. They effectively fought as mercenary or private armies, regar ...
Thüringen, a civilian militia army unit.[
During the rearmament of the army during the ]Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
period, there was renewed military use of Petersberg citadel. From 1936 to 1938 part of the barracks was used to house the new established Motorized Infantry Regiment no. 71, and from 1938 to 1939 as the headquarters of the army's administrative offices. In 1944 a transit camp for displaced people was established in the Defense Barracks, and this was continued by the occupying Soviet administration after the war.
When the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) was founded in 1949, the citadel again
was used by the military. The Defense Barracks was used to accommodate a police school, the Kasernierte Volkspolizei
The Kasernierte Volkspolizei ( en, Barracked People's Police) was the precursor to the National People's Army (NVA) in East Germany. Their original headquarters was in Adlershof locality in Berlin, and from 1954 in Strausberg in modern-day Bra ...
(a precursor to the Nationale Volksarmee
The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990.
The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) an ...
- NVA), and after 1956 newly formed NVA. After 1963 the citadel became the property of the city of Erfurt and the Defense Barracks were used for storage. It has been vacant since 2000 and there is on going discussion about how it will ultimately be restored and used.
Barracks A (''Kaserne A'')
Barracks A was built in 1675. The 94 meter long building is a terrace of four houses with separate entrances and a central portal providing access to a back courtyard. It was used as a barracks until the end of World War I in 1918. After that it was used for civilian housing. From 1935 to 1945 it housed the ''Wehrbezirkskommando'' (District military command headquarters). From 1945 it was an old people's home. The building was restored between 2000-2001 and it now houses a mixture of private apartments and offices.[Zitadelle Petersberg Verwaltung (c.2010). Site Information.]
Lower Barracks (''Untere Kaserne'')
The Lower Barracks was built c.1690. It now houses the Stasi Records Agency , commonly known as the )
, dissolved = June 17, 2021
, superseding1 =
, agency_type = Former Secret Police Archive
, jurisdiction =
, status = Dissolved, now part of the German Federal Archives ...
, officially the ''Bundesbeauftragt für die Stasi-Unterlagen (BStU)''. It provides exhibitions and public guided tours, in German, every third Thursday of the month. The BStU has 15 such regional archives in Germany.
Artillery Barracks (''Artilleriekaserne'')
The Artillery Barracks was built between 1679 and 1681. Side wings were added to the building in 1825. It was in military use until 1964, when it housed the military headquarters. It was restored 1990–1993. Administrative offices of the Thuringian department for monument protection and archaeology (Thüringische Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie, TLDA) are now housed in the building.
Maintenance Sergeant's quarters (''Schirrmeisterei'')
The Maintenance Sergeant's quarters was built in 1530 as part of the Monastery of St Peter and Paul. From 1665, when the military took over the site, it was used as the ''Marketenderei'', in English the 'sutler's building'. The sutler was a merchant who accompanied an army in order to sell provisions to soldiers.''Sutler in 'Collins English Dictionary' (online)''
Retrieved 27 December 2017 After 1820 it became a farm yard for the Prussian garrison.
St. Leonard's Church (''Leonhardskirche'')
It is not known exactly when the Leonhardskirche was built, but the first mention of it was in 1185. It was originally in the romanesque style, but after the site became a fortress the windows were altered and the building became an artillery store. It was destroyed in a World War II air raid. In the early 1990s the foundations were excavated and can be seen today.
Gallery
File:GrundrißPetersberg.jpg, Groundplan of Petersberg Citadel, 2009
File:-115 Erfurt-Altstadt Zitadelle Petersberg Untere Kaserne-Kaserne 3.jpg, Former Lower Barracks, now the Stasi Archive, built c.1690
File:Artilleriekaserne 1.jpg, Artillery Barracks, built 1679–1681
File:Erfurt, zitadelle Petersberg, Schirrmeisterei.JPG, Maintenance Sergeant's quarters, built 1530
File:Horchgänge Zitadelle Petersberg Erfurt.jpg, Tunnels, Petersberg Citadel
File:Luftbild Petersberg Erfurt.jpg, Aerial view of Petersberg Citadel, 2007
File:Petersberg Erfurt Erker.jpg, Lookout point, Petersberg Citadel
File:Zitadelle Petersberg Erfurt, Park - Mai 2015.JPG, Wall walk, Petersberg Citadel, May 2015
File:Zitadelle Petersberg in Erfurt 2014 (29).jpg, View of Erfurt Cathedral and Severikirche from Petersberg Citadel
File:Zitadelle Petersberg in Erfurt 2014 (42).jpg, View of Erfurt old town from Petersberg Citadel, 2014
File:Zitadelle Petersberg Erfurt.JPG, St Peter's Church and Defense Barracks
File:Zitadelle Petersberg in Erfurt 2014 (20).jpg, Ravelin Peter, built 1708, and access bridge, Petersberg Citadel, 2014
File:2014 in Erfurt - 2014-05-31 - 10.JPG, Bastion Martin, Petersberg Citadel, built 1667-68,
File:Festungsbäckerei 1.jpg, Fortress bakery, Petersberg Citadel, built 1832
File:Preußisches Biwak.jpg, Reenactment of Prussian soldiers using cannon at Petersberg Citadel, 2007
File:Fundament Leonhardskirche Erfurt.JPG, Foundations of the Leonhardskirche
See also
* Bastion fort
* Capitulation of Erfurt
In the Capitulation of Erfurt on 16 October 1806 a large body of troops from the Kingdom of Prussia under Lieutenant General the Prince of Orange surrendered to Marshal Joachim Murat of France, at the city of Erfurt (now in Germany). The Pruss ...
* Citadel
A citadel is the core fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of "city", meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core.
In ...
* Principality of Erfurt
The Principality of Erfurt (german: Fürstentum Erfurt; french: Principauté d'Erfurt) was a small state in modern Thuringia, Germany, that existed from 1807 to 1814, comprising the modern city of Erfurt and the surrounding land. It was subordi ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petersberg Citadel
Buildings and structures in Erfurt
Fortresses in Germany
Baroque architecture in Germany
Heritage sites in Thuringia
History of Erfurt
Tourist attractions in Thuringia
Restored and conserved buildings