Town Fortification Stralsund-Knieper Gate

The Kniepertor is one of the ten former city gates of the Hanseatic city of Stralsund and is named after a burgher family from the 13th century.

It is one of the land gates of the Stralsund city fortifications and was first mentioned in a document in 1293. The brick-built, tile-roofed gate is located at the end of Knieperstraße towards Olof-Palme-Platz. It has a width of 11.50 meters, a height of 20.80 meters, and is 8.60 meters deep. In the 15th century, various changes were made to the exterior of the gate; the gate can still be seen in this form today. The Kniepertor is part of the preserved remains of the city wall and is located in the core area of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Old Towns of Stralsund and Wismar".

After long discussions about the demolition of the gate in the 1860s, a decision was made in 1870 to demolish only the adjacent house to avoid obstructing increasing traffic. Therefore, in 1874, the house Knieperstraße 14, the Knieper outer gate, and the gatekeeper's house were demolished. In 1967, the city gate was converted for residential purposes. Until its closure in the 1960s, the tram passed through the gate. Today, the passage is reserved for pedestrians and cyclists.

Holders for the barrier chains can still be seen on the gate, which could be used to protect the street from charging attackers when the gate was open.

On May 4, 1809, Ferdinand von Schill's comrade-in-arms, Friedrich Gustav von Petersson, was executed by the French occupiers in front of the gate. A memorial stone and a memorial plaque on the city-facing side of the gate commemorate him.