Jülich Citadel

Photo: Dennis Stratmann, Copyright: Grünmetropole e.V.
Jülich was founded around the birth of Christ as a street town at the junction of the Roman long-distance trade route from Cologne to the Atlantic coast via the Rur. It was also the Romans who built the first fortifications in the 3rd century. A fort to protect against invasions of Germanic tribes. After the end of the Roman Empire, Jülich retained its central importance as the center of the Franconian Jülich-Gau and seat of the Counts of Jülich. They fortified their city with a medieval city wall at the beginning of the 14th century. Of the three city gates, the west-facing Rurtor is still preserved. Better known under the name "Witches Tower" it is now the symbol of the city. The citadel, a 90,000 square meter fortress with a ducal castle, is the most important fortress in the style of the Italian High Renaissance north of the Alps. Due to the special construction of the gun platforms, the bastions, any point in front of the walls can be fired at with firearms. Today the citadel houses a high school and the citadel museum. The castle with an exhibition on the history of the facility and the Jülich region as well as the extensively restored fortress with the ramparts and casemates can be visited.At the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, the French under Napoleon continued to expand the Jülich Fortress. The Napoleonic bridgehead was built on the Rur. Fifty years later, the Jülich Fortress was militarily obsolete. In October 1859, the Prussian government abolished Jülich's status as a fortress, and the bastions and ramparts of the town's fortifications were blown up and gradually demolished. However, the citadel and bridgehead were preserved.During World War II, the city was largely destroyed in an air raid. After 1945, Jülich was rebuilt according to plans by René von Schöfer. The reconstruction made clear references to the cityscape of the 16th century. The Pasqualinian floor plan reappeared and new buildings quoted architectural ideas of the Renaissance. Today, the citadel and bridge head, together with the witch tower and the Renaissance town plan from the 16th century, form a unique fortress ensemble (tourismus.kreis-dueren.de/a-zitadelle-juelich)

The citadel is huge 😳 in the middle of it there is now a school