Fortified gate at Düren 1664

Wenceslaus Hollar made this etching of the fortified gate at Düren in 1634. Düren, in the Rhineland, would have been a strategic military site. The etching suggests a social order that depends on military power, and it invites us to think about the politics of that order. We can learn more about this imagery by looking into the history of the place, its rulers, and the military history of the era. Consider the Thirty Years War raging at the time. Hollar himself lived through it. The view shows the gate as a formidable construction, surrounded by a moat and further protected by round towers. Its elevated position would have given it strategic advantages against any assault. This bird’s-eye perspective may comment on military planning. The tiny figures near the gate contrast with the massive architecture, perhaps indicating a sense of the individual's submission to the state. The social historian can contextualize the meaning of Hollar's etching by researching the history of the Thirty Years War and the history of Düren.