Testimony to the early Middle Ages: town wall restored
After almost 20 years, work on what is probably the oldest surviving post-Roman city wall in Germany has been completed in Duisburg. The wall is exceptionally well preserved and therefore an important testimony to the Middle Ages, the LVR Office for the Preservation of Monuments in the Rhineland announced on Tuesday. The defensive wall was mainly built between the 12th and 14th centuries, but there are also structures from the 10th century. This makes the wall the oldest surviving post-Roman city wall in Germany.
Over the centuries, the structure had been partially filled in for flood protection on the Rhine - which was a stroke of luck for archaeologists and monument conservators. This meant that the city wall survived the long period of time unscathed. After all, industrial buildings in Duisburg harbor had almost completely covered the structure.
It was only after old industrial buildings were demolished there that the medieval city wall was once again freely accessible and could be restored. Holes in the wall were repaired with suitably manufactured bricks or with historical bricks, according to the monument conservators. Today, several sections with a total length of around one kilometer have been preserved on the edge of Duisburg's city center.
The restoration of the city wall in Duisburg has significant importance in the field of Archaeology, as it provides valuable insights into the architecture and defensive strategies of the early Middle Ages. The preserved wall, which dates back to the 12th to 14th centuries with structures from the 10th century, is an invaluable artefact for archaeologists studying this period.
Source: www.dpa.com
