Fürstenwall, Cultural heritage park in Old Town, Magdeburg, Germany.
Fürstenwall is a park in Magdeburg's Old Town that stretches as a wide promenade with tree-lined paths and green spaces. It offers views across to the Elbe River and Rotehorn Park, with walkways passing through planted areas.
The site began as unbuilt Elbe floodplain; in the second half of the 12th century the river shifted east, leaving dry land below the cathedral rock. In 1430/31 six towers were built along the bank, later joined by walls. Under Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Dessau the fortifications were converted into a park with housing and businesses, and in 1877 a war memorial was raised on an artificial hill.
The name Kiek in de Köken ("peek into the kitchens") comes from the watchtower's use: guards could look down into the town's kitchens. The tower was converted into a hall of honour under National Socialism, with the surrounding ground made an honour cemetery. Since 2010 the sculpture Die heilige Mechthild von Magdeburg, part of the Skulpturenpark Magdeburg, stands at the northern end; the sculpture Elektra is in a small green area south of the tower.
The promenade rises several metres above the Elbe bank, so the river view opens up along its length. The northern section beyond Gouvernementsberg was destroyed in the Second World War, so the surviving towers and monuments lie in the southern part. Three former defence towers remain: Kiek in de Köken, the Turm hinter der Ausfahrt der Möllenvogtei and the Tatarenturm.
The northern section of the promenade, beyond Gouvernementsberg street, was destroyed in the Second World War, so the row of surviving defensive towers stops short of the original line. Since 2010 a sculpture of Saint Mechthild of Magdeburg, part of the Magdeburg Sculpture Park, has stood at the northern end.
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