White Tower

The Weiße Turm, also called the Eulenturm, is an old customs and residential tower in the town of Weißenthurm in the Rhineland-Palatinate region. It stands on a flat slate rock, clear of surrounding buildings. The square structure faces exactly north, south, east and west. Five storeys rise from the ground floor to the roof, with walls up to two metres thick in places. The tower dates from the early 15th century, first recorded in 1550 under Archbishop Werner von Falkenstein. It marked the border between the archbishoprics of Trier and Cologne for nearly five centuries. A deep ditch ran from the tower to the Rhine, crossed only by a bridge with a barrier where land tolls were collected. Later the tower became a prison with a dark dungeon and living quarters for the watchman under the roof. Today the Weiße Turm houses the local history museum of Weißenthurm. Narrow staircases climb inside the thick walls to the top, now covered by a pyramid roof. The surrounding area was restored in 2009 and remains a quiet spot in the Altestraße.