Route Vauban Landau

The path leads along 28 stations, listed below. 

1. Rathausplatz

Formerly: Paradeplatz. After the city fire in 1689, a square was created here in place of three building blocks for military parades. From the balcony of the Kommandantur, today's town hall, the fortress commander could inspect the troops and deploy them on the fortress walls.

2. Kommandantur

The town hall built by the French in 1691 was destroyed along with the entire district in the explosion of a nearby armory. In 1827, the Bavarian military administration established its fortress command on the burned site. Today it houses the town hall and the tourist information.

3. Red Barracks

The only barracks built within the medieval old town area. All other military buildings were placed between the residential houses and the main wall.

4. Galleon Tower

Former keep and the only remaining tower of the medieval city wall. From 1732, it served as a prison for military detainees. The tower got its name because the prisoners were sent from here "to the galleys."

5. St. Catherine's Chapel

Built in 1344 by the citizens for the nearby Beguines. In the choir, Stations of the Cross from the construction period with a medieval anti-Judaic depiction of the Jewish population as "Christ murderers." After the fortress was built, it became the garrison church. On either side of the choir room are tombstones of fortress commanders. From the 17th to the 19th century, it served various functions within the fortress (wine storage, prison). Today a municipal building, it serves as a church for the Old Catholic and the independent Evangelical Lutheran congregations.

6. Former Stadthaus

Formerly: Commander's house between Stadthausgassel, Martha-Saalfeld-Platz and Kramstraße. Built by the city as a residence for the commander; from 1797, it became the seat of the Bavarian city and canton administration. It remained so until 1947.

7. Fort with ravelins and ditch scissors

Built 1700 to 1702 on the orders of then fortress commander Villards. Unlike the modern main wall, the fort was built in an "Old Dutch manner." The longest contiguous ditch/earthwork system in Landau.

8. Nußdorfer Gate

Located on the north rampart of the fort, it was the third gate into the fortress but access was reserved for military, medical personnel, and midwives.

9. Lunette No. 55

Used with Batardeau No. 57 and lock No. 166 for diverting and holding back Queich water, which was channeled via the derivation canal to flood flood basins No. 82 (today Nordpark) and No. 83 (today Alter Messplatz, zoo).

10. Nordpark with contregarde and Speyerer Allee

When demolished, the contregarde area became a spoil heap. Excavation material, spolia, and large blocks ended up here because they were in the way elsewhere. Around 1900, the beautification association created a park here with a viewing platform.

11. Deutsches Tor

One of only 2 public entrances to the city. It shows in the gable a rather stern Louis XIV, who looks towards Germany.

12. Augustinian Monastery/Armory

Built in the early 14th century. After the French Revolution, it was secularized and called "Maria Himmelfahrt vor den Toren" (Assumption of Mary before the gates). Used as an armory for materials and supplies, later a youth hostel, then a municipal museum, today the building authority.

13. Quartier Chopin

Formerly: Reduit. One of eight bastion towers of the fortress. Enlarged as a retreat work (Reduit). Existing buildings were built around 1860 in Reduit No. 13 and used militarily. Known as Quartier Chopin, it now houses commercial and office uses.

14. Foreditch lock

With protective structure. Lock No. 77 dammed the Queich for flooding basins No. 80 and 81. The basin No. 80, the present-day Schwanenweiher, can still be found across Ostbahnstraße.

15. Basin No. 80

Today: Schwanenweiher. Near its east end by the playground are remains of Lunette No. 35. Opposite, the beautification association placed around 1900 the coat of arms of bastioned tower No. 53 on the tip of contregarde No. 90.

16. Return lock

Of the main ditches into the Queich under the Ostring bridge. From here, the dammed Queich could be guided over two more locks, no longer present, into the northern and southern ditches.

17. Batardeau with wall bear

> Schleusenstraße. The wall separated the dry main ditch on the left and right from the crossing Queich. The roof-shaped wall crown and the wall bear served as an obstacle for attackers.

18. Outlet lock

Of the Queich through the main wall, with a harbor in front, built 1688–1691. Iron grates could be lowered to prevent enemy entry. The ramp served as a trough for the horses of the nearby cavalry barracks.

19. Triangelgasse/Reitschulgasse

Cobblestone pavement and gutter stones still date from the fortress period. Corner of Reitschulgasse and Reiterstraße show remains of the military riding school.

20. Military riding school

Used in bad weather by the cavalry of the nearby barracks in Reiterstraße to exercise horses. First inner-city petrol station and car workshop.

21. Timber storage

One of several timber storages in the fortress. Administrator's house and gateposts with inscription preserved.

22. Französisches Tor

Southern city gate, allegedly Louis XIV smiles towards France.

23. Lunette No. 41 with Turm d’Arçon

Part of the lunette girdle, built after the first sieges from 1711 to strengthen the non-floodable southern glacis areas. Excavated in 2013 by the Festungsbauverein and used as access to the fortress mine system. Show construction site of the fortress building workshop.

24. Goethepark

The locations of Lunettes No. 41, 42, and 43 can still be recognized by the jagged shape of the park areas.

25. Redoute/Spionskopf

The work served to protect the harbor facility at the end of the Albersweiler canal. This work was partially demolished during the construction of the Zweibrücken–Landau railway line. The ditch in front of the work was filled with debris, creating a hill north of the house at the Westbahnhof, named Spionskopf. Redoute No. 44 also gave its name to the street An 44.

26. Drainage lock

To divert the Queich river into the derivation canal flowing through the flood areas. Work No. 131 is located in Schillerpark, at the bridge over the derivation canal as access to the Südpfalz-Stadion.

27. Ditch lock

The structure visible from An 44 street (now Brückengärtchen) served to protect locks 45 A and B, lying towards Westring, which led water into the main ditch.

28. Inlet lock with lock house

Served for water inlet through the main wall and damming of the Queich to guide water into the ditches. The Queich widens here into the harbor basin, with stairs leading down.