The South Axis – The Felcha Gate

With its thousand-year history, Mühlhausen has the second largest monument in Thuringia. Important trading routes met at the upper and lower market of the former imperial and royal city for over a century. In the lower city, the Erfurter and Felchtaer Streets along with the lower market were part of one such trading route, called the South Axis of the city. As a consequence of the changing economic conditions, the growth of the city and the traffic routes, the Felchta and Erfurt Gate were abandoned. Deep wounds were left behind in the spatial gaps. Slowly, the old surface materials and the former division of the city areas were lost. The uniformity of the spatial value, the usage of space and the design returned at the beginning of the renovation of the city. Through the slow process of discovering the From-Gate-To-Gate labyrinth, the relationship between the sections of the former South Axis could successfully be given new life, city entryways redeveloped and marked.

Corresponding to the historical city layout and the archeological discoveries, the historic entryways to the city, the Erfurt and Felchta Gates were reproduced and the lower market re-organized. A blue band of basalt now links the individual areas with each other and leads from gate to gate. The same design principles, layouts and materials connect the city spaces. The reconstructed city gates and the lower market are the highpoint of the design along this band, a designed confrontation with the issue of time, even.

FELCHA GATE

The inner Felcha Gate has been returned to the city space thanks to the archeological digs and historical maps. Like the Erfurt Gate, the layout is reflected in the surface in its connection with the city wall. A portion of the course of the Schwemmnotte could also be successfully freed. Analogous to the eastern city entryway, a lighted pedestal marks the access to the city and indicates the history of the city and the Felcha Gate.