Mauerfall und Moderne: The Dismantling of City Fortifications in the 19th Century (Stephan Laux)

In the 19th century – particularly in its second half – fortifications were dismantled in a great number of German cities, most notably city walls and gates. This process represents a significant, perhaps the most significant “transformation of form” (W. Conze) in the history of urban development, even at the international level. The transformation manifested itself in concrete ways: in urban planning, infrastructure, legal frameworks, and not least in the social fabric of cities. The often controversial reception of these sweeping changes reflects, to a certain extent, the actors’ and local publics’ understandings of both the past and the future.

As part of this individual project, information is being compiled on as many dismantling processes as possible. Selected case studies will be examined in greater depth, chosen according to typological, empirical, and practical criteria. The primary sources include municipal (archival) records and serial institutional documents, especially council and administrative protocols, as well as press reports. The project began in late 2024 with a case study on the dismantling of the city walls of Trier. This process began in the 1840s and was carried out in earnest over a period of approximately 25 years beginning around 1875.