"Grabentor", the Southern City Wall

Code: 21

In front of you, you can see the “Grabentor”, a part of the defensive fortification of Marbach in the Middle Ages. This gate, however, merely dates back to 1847 or even 1934. Building the city walls was the decisive construction in a medieval town. Being separated from the countryside was usually the symbol for the partly independent administration of the city. Marbach, however, was always completely subject to the duke’s will. Marbach had two city walls, the outer one had circular towers for better defense. Parts of these walls and some towers are still visible, while the inner city wall is completely overbuilt. If you turn right, you can see the ruins of one of these towers. The “Grabentor” itself was built to provide the possibility for a planned extension of Marbach, which never took place. In many other towns the defensive ring was completely destroyed and replaced by circular streets.