????????修筑壕墻，是指近代以后，為了加強(qiáng)天津的城防，而修建墻子和墻子河。近代以前，天津的城防，主要是依靠天津城廓。清咸豐八年(1858)英、法聯(lián)軍第一次侵占天津，脅迫清政府簽訂《天津條約》以后，清政府決定加強(qiáng)天津的防御能力。僧格林沁到天津后，即上奏朝廷：“天津?yàn)榫o要重地，亟應(yīng)設(shè)法嚴(yán)防。揆之地勢，亦應(yīng)附城一帶，挑挖重濠，筑立土城，將四門關(guān)廂，圈入重濠，設(shè)有警動，守濠即系守城，致為得力?！?咸豐九年 (1859)十二月，清廷批準(zhǔn)僧格林沁挑濠筑墻。
????????咸豐十年 (1860)正月二十六日，修筑天津墻子和墻子河的工程開工。據(jù)同治年編纂的 《續(xù)天津縣志》記載： “壕墻距城里余或五、六里不等，營門凡十一，東至沈家莊，東北錦衣衛(wèi)橋、窯洼，北玉皇廟，西北佟家樓、教軍場，西至善慶庵、三官廟，南海光寺，東南梁家園、行宮，圍長共三十六里，濠如是?！苯呛拥兰俺峭饩用皲伒昝芗貛?，均圈入土墻之內(nèi)。還設(shè)大炮臺兩座，小炮臺數(shù)10座。
????????天津開埠以后，墻子已失去作用。但同治八年(1869),三口通商大臣崇厚，為了防御捻軍進(jìn)攻天津，又將壕墻重修。同年四月，壕墻阻堵了捻軍的攻城?！独m(xù)天津縣志》有這樣的記載： “匪(指捻軍)聚于南鄉(xiāng)八里臺一帶，疊次沖撲不能犯，郡城賴以安堵，亦始知濠墻足恃?！?br />????????到光緒七年(1881),李鴻章任直隸總督時，認(rèn)為天津除了城墻之外，無險可守。便重新把墻子加固，濠挖深，重修各門，并題門名。共開14座營門(清朝軍壘曰“營” ,駐扎軍隊(duì)的門稱作“營門” ),門以磚石砌筑，兩旁有高大的磚垛，門上有額，上刻營門名字。
????????例如： 東曰 “寅賓門” 、東北曰 “建魁門” 、東南曰 “朝宗門” 等。但是老百姓習(xí)慣按營門的方向來稱呼。北邊叫 “北營門” 、南邊叫 “南營門” ,其它叫 “大營門” 、“小營門” 等。
????????清光緒二十三年(1897)繪制的墻子和墻子河示意圖，突出了俗稱，而官方所題門名，反而成為備注了。按圖所示壕墻位置，是從河西區(qū)粱家園 (今海河中學(xué))起，沿南京路經(jīng)過“大營門” 、“小營門” 、“南營門” 、“西營門” 到 “三元村” ,越過南運(yùn)河，沿邵公莊鐵路基，經(jīng)過 “北營門” ,仍沿鐵路基過新開河，經(jīng)過小樹林街道口 ( “東營門” ) ,再沿鐵路基到唐家口，經(jīng)過舊俄租界( “直沽門” ) 、五十四中學(xué)，達(dá)海河右岸。(這個示意線路是1995年以前的情況)

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·清代《津門雜記》對壕墻的記裁

????????With the aim to strengthen its defense,Tianjin dug a moatand built ramparts around the city in modem history. In thepast,the last resort of Tianjin`s defense was its ramparts,which got frequent renovations in Ming and Qingdynasties. In 1858 (the 8th year of Emperor Xianfeng),theallied forces of UK and France invaded Tianjin for the firsttime and forced Qing Dynasty to sign the Tianjin Treaty.Qing Dynasty was scared by the invasion of the alliedforces and decided to reinforce the defense of Tianjin.When Prince Sengge Renchin came to Tianjin,he reportedto the court that "Tianjin is a strategic pass whose defenseshould be enhanced. Considering its topography,weshould dig moat and build ramparts. When the four citygates are closed,the city will be protected by the moat.To protect the city is to keep the moat safe." In December1859,the court approved Sengge Renchin`s appeal andrequired to protect the businessmen at the outskirts of thecity.
????????In January 1860,the project of digging moat andbuilding ramparts began. According to the Sequel ofTianjin Annals,"The ramparts are about one to fivemiles away from the city. Its east end is Shenjia Village;northeast,Jinyiwei Bridge and Yaowa; north,YuhuangTemple; northwest,Tongjia Building and Jiaojun Square;west,Shanqing Nunnery,Sanguan Temple,and SouthHaiguang Temple; and southeast,Liangjia Garden andXanadu. The whole length of the moat is 18 kilometres,the same as to the ramparts." Rivers and channels nearthe city and shop malls were all enclosed by the ramparts.Two large fortifications and dozens of smaller ones werebuilt.
????????After the opening of Tianjin as a treaty port,the wallsof the city began to lose their function. In 1868 when theNian Rebels marched on to the north,Assistant MinisterChong Hou in charge of the three-seaport businessrenovated the ramparts thicker and stronger. In April,the Nian Rebels arrived at the gates of Tianjin but failedto enter into the city due to the ramparts. The Sequel ofTianjin Annals says that "the Nian Rebels accumulatednear Balitai of Nanxiang and they suffered failure forseveral times in attacking the city because of the hurdle ofthe ramparts".
????????In 1881 (the seventh year of Emperor Guangxu),Li Hongzhang was nominated as the Governor-Generalof Zhili. He believed that Tianjin had nothing to defenditself except for the walls and moat. Because both thecity and the population of people and army was growing,the concession was built beside the river,the sole way ofdefense was to depend on the walls and trenches,so hereinforced the walls and deepened the trenches. He alsorebuilt 14 gates for barracks and named them. The gateswere made from bricks and stones and on the top of themthe barracks` names were engraved.
????????The names were elegant such as Yinbin Gate,JiankuiGate and Chaozong Gate according to their directionsin traditional Chinese,but the civilians were used to callthem "North Yingmen (barrack)","South Yingmen" or"Big Yingmen",and "Small Yingmen".
????????The 1897 map of Tianjin ramparts and moat adoptedthe common names and the official names becameremarks.

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·壕墻示意圖