Wesel citadel facts for kids
The Wesel Citadel is the largest old fort that is still mostly complete in the Rhineland area of Germany. It was built between 1688 and 1722 in the city of Wesel. The fort was designed by Johan de Corbin and looks like a five-pointed star. Each point of the star is a strong part called a bastion. The Citadel was the most important part of the bigger Wesel Fortress. Today, it is used as a place for culture and museums.
How the Citadel Was Built
The way the Wesel Citadel was built followed ideas from Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, who was a very famous fort builder at that time. Building the first part of the Citadel, from 1668 to 1700, cost a huge amount of money – about 373,452 Reichsthaler! Even more money was spent in the years after that. For example, in 1701 and 1702, it cost another 221,600 Reichsthaler. At that time, the whole Wesel Fortress had 250 cannons to defend it.
In 1687, Frederick William I of Brandenburg ordered the Citadel to be built. He wanted Wesel to be a very strong, fortified city. The Citadel was planned for the south side of the city and would connect to the existing city walls. It was designed to have five bastions (the star points) and five ravelins (outer defenses). The main gate of the Citadel, which is very impressive, was finished in 1718.
Later, before the mid-1700s, the Citadel was made even stronger on its south and east sides. When the French army took over the Citadel from 1805 to 1814, they built a two-story brick building inside. This building is still there today and is known as the old Barracks VIII. The main gate of the Citadel is very grand. Inside its southern part, there was a prison cell. Eleven officers who fought with Ferdinand von Schill were held there.
What's There Today
After World War I, in 1919 and 1920, many parts of the old Wesel fortifications were taken down. Especially the parts facing the Rhine river and the Lippe river, where enemies might have attacked from, are now gone. Only a street name reminds people of where an old gate used to be.
Even though much of the fort was removed, several important buildings remained after 1919/1920:
- The Main Gate: This gate, built in 1718, still has its strong curtain wall, bridge, and trenches. It was fixed up in 1823. Today, it holds the "Städtische Museum Abteilung Schillkasematte," which is a local museum. This gate was also part of the fort's defenses, but it also connected the Citadel to the city.
- Officers' Prison: Built in 1727, this building is now owned by private people.
- Garrison Bakery No. II: This bakery, built in 1809, now houses the local archive and a department that restores old documents.
- Barracks No. VIII: Also built in 1809, this building was updated and is now home to the city's "Musik- und Kunstschule" (Music and Art School).
- Körner Magazine: Built in 1835, this building now contains the Prussian Museum of North Rhine Westphalia.
Images for kids
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A view of the Wesel Citadel from another angle.
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An old French mortar that was placed here after 1871.
