Roter Turm (Jena)

The Rote Turm stands in Jena, where the old town wall once enclosed the city. It sits at the corner where Löbdergraben and Fischergasse meet today. Built around 1430 as a shell tower, it was later changed into an open gun bastion with firing slits and chambers. Archaeologists found traces of settlement from the 11th and 12th centuries and even Bronze Age pieces. The tower’s lower part survives from the 14th century, but in 1870 a four-storey brick house was added above it for living. The whole structure rises about 19 metres, with walls over half a metre thick. In 1995 part of the upper section collapsed during repairs, killing four workers and injuring four more. After rebuilding finished in 2000, the tower returned to its historic look. For a time it housed exhibition rooms for the Jena Art Society. Now it contains a digital agency, yet its thick walls still tell the story of Jena’s defences and later uses.