Baden City Tower on 2006 stamp Switzerland
Miniature sheet Naba II
Alongside Basel's Spalentor and Bern's "Zytglogge", Baden's city tower is one of the most important gate towers to have survived from the Middle Ages in Switzerland. Reason enough to feature it on the second miniature sheet marking the September 2006 Naba National Stamp Exhibition.History of city tower
The origins of the city tower date back to 1441, when a bloody war was raging between Zurich and the other seven cantons of the former Confederation over the inheritance of Count Friedrich VII of Toggenburg who had died without heirs in 1436. In this civil war, the city of Baden had the doubtful honor of being the main sally port against Zurich, which was allied with enemy Austria.In return, Baden endured numerous Zurich attacks, all of which were repulsed. On 8 November 1445, for example, Zurich troops tried to force entrance to the "Bruggertor" with a gigantic battering ram, but the alert defenders scotched that attempt. A few hours later, the Confederate Bailiff of the time, Jost Qs of Uri, set down in a letter to the "Diet" (assembly of canton representatives) that the men of Baden had stood stout and firm.
Roof in Baden city colors
Between 1481 and 1483, the Baden city tower was raised to its present height of 56.45 meters with the addition of two stories on top of the existing four. It was topped with four attractive oriels, a roof of glazed tiles in the Baden city colors of red, white and black, and a slim, hexagonal ridge turret with a weather vane. The ground plan of the tower remained unchanged at 10.90x 10.40 meters. The walls taper towards the top from a thickness of 1.80 to 1.20 meters and are made of Jura limestone which is found in abundance around Baden. However, shell limestone from the quarry in Mägenwil was selected for the massive corner stones in the lower part of the tower. The foundation plaque set into the north wall was retained. Beneath the double headed eagle of the Holy Roman Empire, to which the Confederation counted itself as belonging until the 1648 Declaration of independence, it features the Baden city coat of arms in duplicate and bears the inscription: "Anno domini MCCCCXLI" (AD 1441).Renovated tower
A clock with a face measuring five meters in diameter was set into both facades of the top part of the tower. The original clock movement has unfortunately not survived. A new movement from Strasburg in 1877 replaced it. The bells for striking the hour and half-hour, dating from 1483 still hang in the ridge turret. In 1864, following the demolition of the Agnes Hospital that used to stand next to the City Church, a third bell, cast in 1514, was added to strike the quarter-hour. The Baden city tower has been repeatedly altered, embellished and renovated. In 1581, a sundial was painted on the south wall; between 1620 and 1623 an outwork with battlements and defensive towers was constructed on the north side and in the second half of the 17th century, baroque frescoes were added round the clock on the south facade.Postage stamps in detail
Issue: Switzerland, 7 September 2006Design: Martin Eberhard, Kaiserstuhl
Printing: offset by Postage Stamp Printing Bureau of State Beijing, China
Perforation: 13.75:14
Stamp size: twice 28x35 mm, miniature sheet: 105x70 mm
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