Burgtorturm Aken

The Burgtorturm stands in the north-west corner of Aken’s old town, where Burgstraße meets Philippsburg. It is one of four gate towers built into the medieval town wall that once surrounded the town. The wall itself replaced an earlier palisade mentioned in records from the early 13th century. Aken was planned and laid out by Flemish settlers, with its main streets crossing at right angles. The Burgtorturm’s name may come from the nearby Gloworp castle or the archbishop’s palace first recorded in 1392. The tower is a modest brick structure, only fifteen metres tall and sixteen square metres at its base. Its present shape dates from around 1500, though it may have been mentioned as early as 1288. The ground floor has a round-arched passage while the upper storey has narrow slit windows facing east and west. After centuries of use it was restored between 1994 and 1996 and is now protected as a listed monument. Inside, visitors walk through the arched ground-floor passage into the open space beyond. The upper chamber, reached by a narrow staircase, still shows its original slit windows and simple brickwork. From the top platform there are views across the old town’s rooftops and along the Burgstraße towards the Calber Landstraße. The tower’s modest size and plain materials give a clear sense of the town’s medieval defences.