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The Round Tower () is a large defensive tower in
Andernach Andernach () is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the ''Neuwied basin'' on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing village ...
, Germany, the town's keep and schauinsland (literally "look into the country"). The castle and the town walls were called that because they provided a far look into the surrounding country to see enemy troops approaching in time. It dates to the 15th century, and was a former
watch tower A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are b ...
in the town fortifications at the northwest corner of the
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...
town wall.


History

The tower was built under the direction of the town council of Andernach in the period before 1440 (round lower section, first mention in the construction records) and from 1448 to 1453 (octagonal upper section) as a fortified watch tower within the town fortifications and known as the ''Rondentorne''. It was probably erected on the site of the northwest corner tower of the Roman
castellum A ''castellum'' in Latin is usually: * a small Roman fortlet or tower,C. Julius Caesar, Gallic War; 2,30 a diminutive of (' military camp'), often used as a watchtower or signal station like on Hadrian's Wall. It is distinct from a , which ...
or another, smaller, earlier structure. The builder in charge of the second phase of construction was municipal master builder, Philipp Preudemann (Philips Preudeman). Whether he also acted as the architect is not known. Over the course of its history, the name of the tower varied from ''ronder thurn'' in the 17th century, ''Runder Thurm''in the 18th/19th century and then ''Runder Turm'' thereafter. Master carpenter Johann was responsible for all the woodwork, including the installation and removal of the
treadwheel A treadwheel, or treadmill, is a form of engine typically powered by humans. It may resemble a water wheel in appearance, and can be worked either by a human treading paddles set into its circumference (treadmill), or by a human or animal standing ...
operated cranes; Master Engel (Enggel) was the local smith. All the ropes and cables came from the workshop of Klaus von Mendig (Claise van Mendich) and Christian von Düsseldorf (Kirstgain van Duysseldorp). Other masters named were Heinrich Schönbel (Henrich Schoinboil), Arnold von Lieser (Arnolden van Leser) and Johann Meyener. Even one name of the otherwise unnamed journeymen, workers, servants and assistants has been recorded: ''"In derselven wochen hait geoppert ''Peter Attenderngin'' 3 dage, y den dag 6 schillinge, macht 1 mark 6 schillinge." ("In the same week (the week 3–8 September 1453) Peter Attendernchen had worked for 3 days as an odd-job man, each day for 6 shillings, which makes 1 mark, 6 shillings")''.Klaus Schäfer (ed.): ''550 Jahre Runder Turm. Begleitheft zur Sonderausstellung im Stadtmuseum Andernach'', Andernach, 2003; The outside tower walls used to be plastered and coloured with a whitish to dark yellowish (ochre) paint to underline the architectonic structure. Rests of the plaster and paint could be found until the mid-19th century. According to recent findings, the cylindrical substructure may have been started well before 1440, i.e. as early as 1412 to 1415 (according to Dr Manfred Huiskes). There are indications of this in the detailed master builder's accounts of this period, which have been handed down, about lively building activity on a new tower of an unnamed position. After that, the round substructure that gave the tower its name could have stood for 30 years without an extension. A roof repair on the tower in 1442 after storm damage indicates a very advanced or finished tower and thus an earlier start of construction before 1440, in addition to the differences in the design of the
frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
s and
embrasure An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of Age of Gunpowder, gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a sp ...
s of the substructure to the superstructure as well as the lack of stonemason's marks there. Only rectangular embrasures were used in the substructure, while so-called keyhole embrasures were also used in the top. After some work in 1446, the tower was further built in 1448 with the octagonal tower. For this purpose, a construction double gantry crane was moved onto the finished tower base and used until 1452. In 1453, the last year of construction, a Göpelwerk at the foot of the tower transported the last materials upwards. With the laying of the
tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock co ...
slabs of the roof, the main work was completed (around 15 November 1453). The mighty defence tower was certainly intended as a municipal and civic counterpart to the erzbischöfliche kurkölnische Burg in the southeast, a clear symbol of renewed civic consciousness, also in view of the citizens' uprisings against the elector from 1357 to 1367. This was underlined by its position in the western city wall 50 metres north of the former Kölnpforte, through which the respective elector was only allowed to enter the city according to protocol. Despite a strained financial situation, the funds were raised by the citizenry, i.e. not only by the ruling class, but by a large number of the citizens, deliberately without a contribution from the reigning Cologne Archbishop Dietrich II of Moers. Because of the political and financial pressure the archbishop was under (including the mortgaging of the city, Soester Fehde 1444-1449 and others), the timing was favourable in this power vacuum. Its enormous height of 56 metres, which allowed a wide view of the Rhine valley, and the presence of a turmer (tower piper), especially in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, ensured that the tower was constantly on guard. In addition to guarding and fire watch duties, the turmer also "blew" (reported) incoming ships for Rhine
customs duty A tariff or import tax is a duty imposed by a national government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports of goods and is paid by the importer. Exceptionally, an export tax may be levied on exports of goods or raw materials and i ...
. A preserved council record from 24 August 1515 shows how the new tower guard named Blasius was introduced into office. In addition to the right to live with his mother, two wagons of firewood and the clothing of a town servant, he received a Goldflorin salary per year. He had to carry the tower key with him at all times. Several hook rifles, field snakes were placed on the upper floors or on the battlements, and other defensive material (oil, pitch, stones, powder) was stored in the rooms. During this time, the chamber in the base (dungeon, "deustere kamer") functioned as a prison. The most famous inmate was the nobleman Gerlach Hausmann von Namedy in 1509, the most powerful man in the town at the end of the 15th century, Schöffe from 1477 to 1509 and
mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
several times, who was always elected for only one year at that time. Its role as a defence tower became clear in the Truchsessian or Cologne War of 1583-1589 against the Elector Gebhard of Waldburg-Trauchburg, Truchsess of
Waldburg Waldburg is a town in the district of Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It is the home of Waldburg Castle, a medieval castle that sits atop the large hill in the town. The castle dates from the twelfth century, when Waldburg was a ...
, who had converted to Protestantism, and whose troops tried in vain to enter the city fighting on the Catholic side through the Cologne Gate. In the night of 30 April to 1 May 1689, the tower withstood an attempted blast by the retreating French troops of Ludwig XIV, thus demonstrating its stability. What remained was an excavation on the western field side of the tower about 1.20 m deep and the size of a small car. In the following period, parts of the tower slowly deteriorated, pieces of the wall broke out of the parapet of the battlements. Around the middle of the 19th century, the tower was also to be demolished in the course of major wall demolitions, to which the "Kölner Pforte" (Cologne Gate) and the "Kirchspforte" (Church Gate) and "Schafspforte" (Sheep Gate) fell victim, but this was prevented. In 1880, major renovation work was carried out, and the old city coats of arms made of tuff were replaced with new ones, although they were inserted vertically instead of at an angle and unpainted. On 17 August 1922, the
youth hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...
, previously housed in the
keep A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residen ...
of the town castle from 1911 to 1922, was established in the Round Tower. On 11 March 1945, during the last days of the Second World War, the stone helmet was damaged by shelling, but further damage was averted. It was not until 1952 that the damage was repaired. Instead of the flagpole, a cross flower made of Mendig basalt, weighing twenty hundredweights, was placed on top of the helmet, as it was possibly also used as a roof attachment in 1453; the cross flowers on the eight gables and four
dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a Roof pitch, pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the ...
s were also renewed. In 2003, the large tower, as a place of remembrance of the town and its history, received a very extensive renovation for its 550th anniversary (including parapet and floor covering of the battlement, battlement house, outer masonry) and now appears in new splendour. On the occasion of the anniversary, a special exhibition "550 Years of the Round Tower" was held in the City Museum from 18 May to 7 December 2003, and a booklet in glossy print on the subject was published. In July 2010, Hall 1 (boys' hall, lowest floor in the octagonal tower) of the former youth hostel was refurbished as a youth hostel museum room.


References


Literature

* Peter Adams: ''Kurzgefaßte Geschichte der Stadt Andernach''. Andernach, 1955. * Werner Bornheim gen. Schilling: ''Stadt und Stadtmauer am Mittelrhein''. In: ''Die kleine Stadt: Gestaltung der rheinischen Klein- und Mittelstädte''. Rheinischer Verein für Denkmalpflege und Landschaftsschutz, Neuß, 1960 * Paul Clemen (ed.): ''Die Kunstdenkmäler der Rheinprovinz - Kreis Mayen''. 1. Halbband, Düsseldorf, 1941, 171 f. *
Georg Dehio Georg Gottfried Julius Dehio (22 November 1850 – 21 March 1932), was a Baltic German art historian. In 1900, Dehio started the "''Handbuch der deutschen Kunstgeschichte''" (Handbook of German Art History), published by Ernst Wasmuth Verlag, ...
: ''Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdenkmäler (Rheinland-Pfalz und Saarland)''.
Deutscher Kunstverlag The Deutscher Kunstverlag (DKV) is an educational publishing house with offices in Berlin and Munich. The publisher specializes in books about art, cultural history, architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and bu ...
, Munich, 1972 * Franz-Josef Heyen (ed.): ''2000 Jahre Andernach. Geschichte einer rheinischen Stadt''. Stadtverwaltung Andernach, 1988 (publ. on the 2,000th anniversary, no ISBN), 1994 (2nd rev. edn.) * Victor Hugo: ''Le Rhin. Lettres à un ami.'' XIII. Paris, 1842 * Manfred Huiskes: ''Andernach im Mittelalter: Von den Anfängen bis zum Ende des 14. Jahrhunderts''. L. Rohrscheid, Bonn, 1980; * Hans Hunder: ''Andernach. Darstellungen zur Geschichte der Stadt''. Stadtverwaltung Andernach, 1986 * Hans-Jürgen Krüger: ''Inventar des Archivs der Stadt Andernach''. Bd. 7 – Rechnungen, Koblenz, 1986, pp. 387–408 * Barbara Lechler: ''Der Runde Turm''. In: ''Tore und Türme''. Stadtmuseum Andernach 1984, Heft 2, pp. 21–23 * Klaus Schäfer (ed.): ''550 Jahre Runder Turm. Begleitheft zur Sonderausstellung im Stadtmuseum Andernach vom 18. Mai bis 7. Dezember 2003'' (= Andernacher Beiträge 18), Andernach, 2003; * Ottheinz Schindler, Manfred Huiskes: ''Andernach (Innenstadt)'' In: ''Rheinische Kunststätten''. Heft 8, 2nd edn., Cologne, 1979, pp. 21 f.;


External links


Activities based on the Round Tower by the Round Tower Society, Andernach

Short description of the tower at the Naval Comradeship website





The Round Tower in 1880 before its renovation

''Alter Thurm zu Andernach am Rhein'', Ludwig Lange, 1850The Round Tower incorrectly captioned as the ''Thurm bei Oberwesel'' (around 1840)

The Round Tower at Andernach.netThe Roman Tower, Andernach, J.M.W. Turner
{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1453 Towers completed in the 15th century Gothic architecture in Germany Fortified towers in Germany Heritage sites in Rhineland-Palatinate Buildings and structures in Mayen-Koblenz
Andernach Andernach () is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the ''Neuwied basin'' on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing village ...