Mühltor

The Mühltor stands in Bautzen, a town in the Landkreis Bautzen, as the smallest of the medieval city gates. It was built after the Hussite sieges of 1429 and 1431 to defend the western section of the town wall. The gate served as an emergency exit for sorties during attacks. Originally called the Eselstor, it took its name from the Eselsberg path used to carry flour and grain by donkey between the town and mills along the Spree. The gate was remodelled in 1606 with a façade of irregular natural stones and a red-tiled pitched roof. Its brick pointed arches rest on sturdy granite piers, giving the structure its distinctive look. In 1620, during the Thirty Years’ War, the gate allowed city troops to reach the Ratsmühle on the Spree and defend it against Saxon attackers. For centuries it was the main western entrance for all goods entering Bautzen. Visitors today see the gate’s robust stonework and brick arches from the outside. Inside the upper floor, once the gatekeeper’s watchroom, exhibitions and talks are held. The gatekeeper’s duties ended in 1835, but the building still serves as a small cultural space in the town.