Fortress Mainz
Encyclopedia
The Fortress of Mainz was a fortressed garrison
town between 1620 and 1918. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars
, under the term of the 1815 Peace of Paris
, the control of Mainz passed to the German Confederation
and became part of a chain of strategic fortresses which protected the Confederation with the dissolution of the Confederation control of the fortress passed to the German Empire
.
, Mainz was assigned to the Louis, Grand-Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt
, but it was decided that, as a fortress, it should belong to the German Confederation, with a garrison of Austrian, Prussian, and Hessian troops. This garrison in time of peace consisted of 6,000 men. The military governor, who retained his post five years, was alternately an Austrian and a Prussian general. A criticism of the fortress was that it was too large, as it required for its defence a garrison of 30,000 men.
The fortress of Mainz was connected, by a bridge over the Rhine, with the strongly fortified village of Kastel
, or Kassel. The extent of the works, which were much enlarged by the French while the city was in their possession, including the work called the Weisenauer Schanze or Fort Weisenau, but exclusive of Kastel and of the small redoubt, is two league
s and a half. Among the principal works were the citadel
, with the Eichelstein, and that called the Hauptstein, an extremely strong work projecting beyond all the rest, on an eminence called the Linsenberg. Kastel, which at that time was united with Mainz as an outwork, had very extensive fortifications, which consist of four strong forts besides the strongly fortified island of Petersau, including which latter the works are of greater extent than even those of Mainz itself. The inner works consist of 14 principal and 13 smaller bastions. On the land side there were four great gates with double drawbridges, and toward the river several more gates. The Rhine runs from south to north, and the Maine from east to west. About a mile above the junction of the two rivers was the village of Kostheim on the Maine, and a little farther up a bridge of boats, defended by a strong tête-de-pont.
. It was surrounded by a threefold line of fortifications: first ring, the chief rampart
consisting of 14 bastions comprising the citadel
; second ring, a line of advanced forts, connected by glacis
; third ring, by still more advanced entrenchments, erected partly by the Prussian, partly by the Austrian engineers, of which the principal were the Weisenauer Lager, the Hartenberg, and the Binger Thurm. On the north side of the town stood a vast Military Hospital, facing the Schlossplatz. In time of peace the garrison consisted of 3,000 Prussian, and a similar number of Austrian troops; in time of war the number of soldiers could be trebled.
s are to be found:
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
town between 1620 and 1918. At the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, under the term of the 1815 Peace of Paris
Treaty of Paris (1815)
Treaty of Paris of 1815, was signed on 20 November 1815 following the defeat and second abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte. In February, Napoleon had escaped from his exile on Elba; he entered Paris on 20 March, beginning the Hundred Days of his restored rule. Four days after France's defeat in the...
, the control of Mainz passed to the German Confederation
German Confederation
The German Confederation was the loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries. It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia...
and became part of a chain of strategic fortresses which protected the Confederation with the dissolution of the Confederation control of the fortress passed to the German Empire
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
.
1839
In 1839 an article on Mainz in The Penny Cyclopædia stated that that Mainz was one of the strongest fortresses in Europe, and a chief bulwark of Germany against France. At the Congress of ViennaCongress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
, Mainz was assigned to the Louis, Grand-Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt
Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse
Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse was Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt and later the first Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine....
, but it was decided that, as a fortress, it should belong to the German Confederation, with a garrison of Austrian, Prussian, and Hessian troops. This garrison in time of peace consisted of 6,000 men. The military governor, who retained his post five years, was alternately an Austrian and a Prussian general. A criticism of the fortress was that it was too large, as it required for its defence a garrison of 30,000 men.
The fortress of Mainz was connected, by a bridge over the Rhine, with the strongly fortified village of Kastel
Mainz-Kastel
Mainz-Kastel is a district administered by the city of Wiesbaden, Germany. Mainz-Kastel was formerly a district of the city of Mainz, until the public administration by the city of Wiesbaden was decided on August 10, 1945...
, or Kassel. The extent of the works, which were much enlarged by the French while the city was in their possession, including the work called the Weisenauer Schanze or Fort Weisenau, but exclusive of Kastel and of the small redoubt, is two league
League (unit)
A league is a unit of length . It was long common in Europe and Latin America, but it is no longer an official unit in any nation. The league originally referred to the distance a person or a horse could walk in an hour...
s and a half. Among the principal works were the citadel
Zitadelle Mainz
The Mainzer Zitadelle is situated at the fringe of the Old Town near Mainz Römisches Theater station. The fortress was constructed in 1660 and was an important part of the Fortress Mainz.-History:...
, with the Eichelstein, and that called the Hauptstein, an extremely strong work projecting beyond all the rest, on an eminence called the Linsenberg. Kastel, which at that time was united with Mainz as an outwork, had very extensive fortifications, which consist of four strong forts besides the strongly fortified island of Petersau, including which latter the works are of greater extent than even those of Mainz itself. The inner works consist of 14 principal and 13 smaller bastions. On the land side there were four great gates with double drawbridges, and toward the river several more gates. The Rhine runs from south to north, and the Maine from east to west. About a mile above the junction of the two rivers was the village of Kostheim on the Maine, and a little farther up a bridge of boats, defended by a strong tête-de-pont.
1864
Karl Baedeker writing in 1864 stated that Mainz was amongst the strongest fortresses of the German ConfederationFortresses of the German Confederation
Under the term of the 1815 Peace of Paris, France was obliged to pay for the construction of a line of fortresses to protect the German Confederation against any future aggression by France.Section C...
. It was surrounded by a threefold line of fortifications: first ring, the chief rampart
Defensive wall
A defensive wall is a fortification used to protect a city or settlement from potential aggressors. In ancient to modern times, they were used to enclose settlements...
consisting of 14 bastions comprising the citadel
Zitadelle Mainz
The Mainzer Zitadelle is situated at the fringe of the Old Town near Mainz Römisches Theater station. The fortress was constructed in 1660 and was an important part of the Fortress Mainz.-History:...
; second ring, a line of advanced forts, connected by glacis
Glacis
A glacis in military engineering is an artificial slope of earth used in late European fortresses so constructed as to keep any potential assailant under the fire of the defenders until the last possible moment...
; third ring, by still more advanced entrenchments, erected partly by the Prussian, partly by the Austrian engineers, of which the principal were the Weisenauer Lager, the Hartenberg, and the Binger Thurm. On the north side of the town stood a vast Military Hospital, facing the Schlossplatz. In time of peace the garrison consisted of 3,000 Prussian, and a similar number of Austrian troops; in time of war the number of soldiers could be trebled.
Structures and buildings
According to Lehnhardts map of Mainz ~ 1844 many bastionBastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s are to be found:
- Bastion Alexander
- Bastion Martin
- Kasematte Bastion Franziskus
- Zitadelle MainzZitadelle MainzThe Mainzer Zitadelle is situated at the fringe of the Old Town near Mainz Römisches Theater station. The fortress was constructed in 1660 and was an important part of the Fortress Mainz.-History:...
- Proviant-Magazin
- Mainz-KastelMainz-KastelMainz-Kastel is a district administered by the city of Wiesbaden, Germany. Mainz-Kastel was formerly a district of the city of Mainz, until the public administration by the city of Wiesbaden was decided on August 10, 1945...
er ReduitReduitA reduit is a fortified structure such as a citadel or a keep into which the defending troops can retreat when the outer defences are breached...
Kaserne - Defensionskaserne
- Alexanderkaserne
- Gautor
- Bastion Alexander
- Gonsenheimer Tor
- Rheintore
- Fort Josef
- Fort Weisenau
- Fort Biehler
- Fort Malakoff
- Fort Stahlberg
- Fort Hauptstein [Fort Meunier]
- Fort Hartenberg [Fort Gibraltar]
- Bassenheimer HofBassenheimer HofThe Bassenheimer Hof is an historic building in Mainz, western Germany.At present the large structure is the seat of the Ministry of the Interior and Sports of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate.-History :...
- Osteiner HofOsteiner HofThe Osteiner Hof is one of several Baroque-era palatial mansions along Schillerplatz square in the German city of Mainz. The mansion, along the southern edge of the square, was built in 1747-1752 by architect-soldier Johann Valentin Thomann for Franz Wolfgang Damian von Ostein, brother of Johann...
- Martinsburg and Electoral PalaceElectoral Palace Mainz250 px|thumb|The Electoral Palace, from the southThe Electoral Palace in Mainz is the former city Residenz of the Archbishop of Mainz, who was also Prince-Elector of his electoral state within the Holy Roman Empire...
- New Armory [Nouvel arsenal]
- Cavalier Prinz Holstein
- Caponniere at Feldbergplatz
- Rheinschanzen
- Fort Großherzog [Fort Montebello]
- Inundationsschanze [Pont-écluse]
External links
- www.festung-mainz.de German only