Emder Stadtwall

In the past, the Emden city rampart served as a protection, today it is appreciated as a green recreation area. The rampart was built at the beginning of the 17th century to defend the then very prosperous city. It used to consist of eleven kennels (pentagonal bastions), which were placed almost in a ring (significantly more than 180 degrees) around the city. The rest of the barrier was formed by the Ems river, which at that time flowed directly past the city center. In case of defense, cannons could be positioned on the heights of the rampart. A wide moat (Stadtgraben) was built in front of these fortifications to make it even more difficult for attackers to storm the rampart. The rampart protected Emden as the only place in East Frisia during the Thirty Years' War from capture by foreign troops, while the rest of the region suffered greatly from occupation at that time. Today, windmills from the 19th century still stand on two hills: The restored Vrouw Johannanna Mill and the Red Mill (without wings, now a kindergarten). Today, eight of the once eleven kennels remain. In its unity and the degree of its preservation, the Emder Wall is nevertheless a rarity today. The rampart is crossed by three canals running out of town, which can be crossed on bridges. Three arterial roads also cross the rampart, the most important of which can be crossed underneath. The other two crossings over the roads are secured by crosswalks, so that a continuous walk from one end of the rampart to the other is possible without any problems. Today covered with a large number of trees, the rampart is appreciated by the people of Edern as a local recreation area.

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