Kolkbach

In Carolingian times, this spring swamp, through which the Kolkbach and Kützelbach streams flowed, was used as a natural barrier when building the fortifications in the Altstadt. After the protective function of the spring and stream lowlands was taken over by the city wall in the 12th century, the wetlands began to be heavily modified. New crossings made the lowlands passable. The banks of the watercourses, which had been narrowed by massive earth embankments, were first fortified with wooden piles and later with blind walls. It was mainly craftsmen who settled on the newly fortified banks. Numerous sill walls and posts bear witness to the dense development of small half-timbered buildings. In the late Middle Ages, the lowlands of the Kolk and Kützel streams to the east of the Patroklistift were originally around 50-70 m wide and confined to a few meters wide stream channel. The damming of the streams is still reflected today in the street name "Damm". According to archaeological findings, the course of the streams depicted in the original cadastre of 1828 essentially corresponds to their late medieval state