The largely preserved fort stands on the site of a medieval monastery, first of the Benedictines, later of the Carthusians, who gave the district its name. The fortification's task was to secure the city area and serve as an observation point for the much larger, now vanished, fortress of Emperor Alexander. With the advent of new weapon systems, the fort was also rebuilt and strengthened several times. In 1920-21, the fort succumbed to complete demolition due to municipal conservation requests, but had to be rendered unusable for military use. The right wing of the casemate was bunkered over during the Second World War to house an air-raid control centre. Today, it houses the exhibition "Koblenz in the Second World War". From the 1990s onwards, all parts of the fortress were extensively renovated, so that today the terraced complex is successfully used as a venue for concerts, theatre and festivals.