Mannheim Quadrates francais Deutsch

The day of foundation of the city of Mannheim is January 24, 1607.

Mannheim Quadrates

On this day, the "privileges" of the citizens were certified and announced in German, French, Dutch and Latin. These stipulated, for example, the guarantee to unrestricted rights to move to or away from Mannheim, the cancellation of customs payments, the abolishment of compulsory labor and further, manifold benefits.

Electoral Prince Frederick IV of the Pfalz, personally laid the foundation stone for the fortress-like structure "Friedrichsburg", a citadel, already on March 17, 1606. Finally, on January 24, 1607, the laying of the foundation stone for the city of Mannheim with its quadrates followed. The precise ground plan pattern of the construction plan for the citadel and the medieval city corresponded exactly with the zeitgeist: Firstly, in its accurate, military-like manner of construction, the latter with its corresponding precision ground plan, severe, simple geometry and efficient architectural style, the foundation of which was built from a construction plan that was created according to the influences of the Renaissance. The development of the city, which followed the use of severe right angles and the characteristics of the quadrates, outlasted every war and the respective, therewith involved destruction.

In Germany, Mannheim is the only city with this characteristic ground plan.
A glance at the map of the city indicates that all of the "Mannheim Quadrates" are labeled with letters and numbers. There is only one city in the world that also gets by without street names as Mannheim does, and that is New York.

 

Source:
1.) "The History of Mannheim", Prof. Dr. Friedrich Walter, 1907
The Fate of a German City, Vol. 2, 1907-1945

2.) "Fortress, Princes, Free Citizens", Series of the
Reiss-Engelhorn Museum of the City of Mannheim, Publisher
Karin von Welck, 1995

3.) "The Little Book of Mannheim City History", Hansjörg Probst,
Publishing House Friedrich Pustet, Regensburg, 2005

4.) Mannheim City Archive,
View of the city, ground plan of the royal seat Mannheim, 1799