Türmersturm

The Türmersturm stands beside the Kurmainzisches Schloss on Tauberbischofsheim’s Schloßplatz. Built in the 13th century as a keep for the town’s defences, it once guarded the southern tip of the medieval wall where the Brehmbach flows into the Tauber. After the castle was replaced by the Renaissance palace in the 16th century, the tower alone survived the dismantling of the fortifications. Today it is a protected monument and one of the city’s best-known landmarks. The tower’s survival owes much to Josef Zugelder, a local joiner who in 1848 blocked its demolition and earned the nickname ‘Struwe’. A lane near his former home is now called Struwepfad, and a model of 18th-century Tauberbischofsheim in the Tauberfränkisches Landschaftsmuseum shows the tower in its original setting. For decades the Türmersturm also featured in the logo of the Zipf-Bräu brewery after Heinrich Zipf secured permission to use its image. Sadly, safety inspections in 2026 found damaged masonry and ceiling timbers, and public access to the summit has been suspended indefinitely. Visitors can still admire the massive round tower from the Schlossplatz, where its walls are nearly two metres thick and rise to 37 metres. A spiral staircase of 119 steps leads to the Türmerstube just below the pointed roof at 28 metres. The Kurmainzisches Schloss surrounds the tower on almost every side, framing its silhouette. In summer evenings from May to October, the city and fire brigade band plays folk tunes from the former watchman’s chamber, a tradition revived in 1979. The scene captures the quiet charm of a small Franconian town still shaped by its medieval past.