| Pleissenburg | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Pleissenburg around 1860 | |
 Interactive map of the Pleissenburg area | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Renaissance (Reconstruction) |
| Location | Leipzig |
| Years built | 13th century, rebuilt 1549[1] |
| Demolished | 1897 |
| Height | 52 metres (171 ft) (Tower height)[2] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Hieronymus Lotter (Reconstruction) |
ThePleissenburg (German: Pleißenburg) was a historical building in the city ofLeipzig inSaxony which is in modern-dayGermany.[3] It was built in the13th century byTheodoric I, Margrave of Meissen and named after the Pleisse Mill Race (German:Pleißemühlgraben) which runs nearby and is often called for shortPleisse.
From 27 June to 16 July 1519, the debate in the form of theses and counter-theses betweenMartin Luther andJohann Eck, which became known as theLeipzig Debate, took place on the Pleissenburg. Martin Luther delivered the firstProtestant sermon in Leipzig onPentecost 1539 in the castle chapel.
After the severe destruction caused by thesiege of theSchmalkaldic War,Maurice, Elector of Saxony (1521–1553) had the castle demolished in 1548 and rebuilt as a triangularfortress in 1549 under the direction ofHieronymus Lotter[1] (1497–1580). The new Pleissenburg was attached to the city's fortification system and separated from the main walls by its ownmoat, so that it assumed the function of acitadel. It was equipped withcasemates and a triangular bastion on the field side.[4]
The fortress also housed the city's firstpost-ReformationCatholic church. In 1697 ElectorAugustus II the Strong (1670–1733)converted to Catholicism. Therefore, the Catholics living in Leipzig asked for permission to found their ownchapel. In 1710 the king instructed the commander of the Pleissenburg fortress to set up a room formasses there. At the same time the Jesuit priest Heinrich Eggerth was commissioned to care for the community. In the following years the Catholics of Leipzig were pastorated exclusively by theJesuits and eventually three, then fourdehonians lived here. They lived in a house in the city and were paid by the government.[5]
In theThirty Years' War, the attack of theCatholic League army underJohann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly on theElectorate of Saxony began with the capture of the Pleissenburg on 14 September 1631. The attack ended with the heavy defeat of Tilly's army at theBattle of Breitenfeld on 17 September against the Swedish-Saxon army of the Swedish kingGustavus Adolphus.[6]
After the Thirty Years' War and the capture of Leipzig by the Swedes in September 1706, the Pleissenburg gradually lost its military importance. In 1764 it was deleted from the list of Saxon fortresses. It was still used as an administrative building andbarracks.[1] From 1765 to 1790, the newly founded LeipzigAcademy of Fine Arts underAdam Friedrich Oeser (1717–1799) was based in the Pleissenburg - here the young studentJohann Wolfgang Goethe (1749–1832) learned drawing from Oeser. ThenaturalistWilhelm Gottlieb Tilesius von Tilenau also studied here. In 1753 the Leipzigmint was moved to the Pleissenburg casemates. It was closed in 1765 because it was no longer needed. In 1784 the chemist Christian Gotthold Eschenbach (1753–1831) founded the first chemicallaboratory of theLeipzig University in the Pleissenburg.[7]
From 1794, the Leipzig Observatory, built by Leipzig's director of city planningJohann Carl Friedrich Dauthe (1746–1816), stood atop the Pleissenburg Tower and was visible from afar. From 1838 to 1876, the western wing served as accommodation for theKöniglich-Sächsische Baugewerkenschule Leipzig (Royal-Saxon Construction School Leipzig) founded byAlbert Geutebrück (1801–1868), which emerged from theArchitecture Department of the Academy of Fine Arts as an independent educational institution.[8]
With the opening of the Möckern barracks in 1875, the centuries-long military use of the Pleissenburg ended. In 1895, the city of Leipzig purchased the castle from theKingdom of Saxony. The demolition of the Pleissenburg began in 1897, and around 1900 today'sBurgplatz was built on parts of the area. From 1899 to 1905, under the direction ofHugo Licht (1841–1923), the monumentalNew Town Hall was built. The total area of all buildings of the former Pleissenburg was larger. The town hall and the building of the Leipziger Bank, now a branch ofDeutsche Bank, were also built on their site.[9]
All that remains of the Pleissenburg is the tower designed by Hieronymus Lotter as the base for the summit of the New Town Hall, which is visible from afar. The so-called Pappenheim oriel window in the inner courtyard of the old Pleissenburg has also been preserved, which commemorates the imperial cavalry generalGottfried Heinrich Graf zu Pappenheim who died nearLützen in 1632 and was placed behind this window.[6]
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Media related toPleissenburg at Wikimedia Commons51°20′10″N12°22′20″E / 51.33611°N 12.37222°E /51.33611; 12.37222