Leipziger Turm

The Leipziger Turm is a free-standing watchtower that once belonged to Halle’s medieval city defences. It was built in the 15th century beside the Galg gate, which was demolished in 1819, and for a time it carried the name Galgtorturm. The tower is forty-four metres tall and made of roughly cut stones with walls two point eight metres thick at the base. Inside, the circular room is only three point three metres wide, and its pointed Gothic doorway and windows survive almost unchanged. The tower’s Renaissance top was added in 1573, topped by a slate-covered copper lantern and four small dormers. Two clock faces were installed at the same time, one facing the city and one the countryside. As the tallest structure in Halle’s ring of walls, it gave guards a clear view over the Galg hill—today’s Riebeckplatz—and could warn of fires or approaching danger. Visitors today find the tower standing on Leipzig Street where it crosses the old line of the city wall between the market square and the main railway station. The entrance on the city side still shows its original Gothic arch, and the two clock faces remain in place. Inside, the narrow spiral stair leads past the clock mechanism to a small viewing platform just below the lantern.