Stadtturm Schwanenstadt

The Stadtturm Schwanenstadt stands at the upper end of the main square, marking the route towards Salzburg in the town of Schwanenstadt in Upper Austria. It is the last remaining defensive tower from the town’s former fortifications, now protected as a listed monument. The tower once formed part of a larger system that included a palisade wall and a second tower, which was demolished in the 19th century. The surviving tower has witnessed many events since its construction. It was damaged by floods in 1732 and again by a major fire in 1815, yet each time it was rebuilt. In 1903 a vaulted passage was added, later widened in 1949. Originally it housed the customs officer and night watchmen, while its partner tower sheltered the city guards and watchmen. Today the Stadtturm houses the Stadtturmgalerie, an art gallery inside its solid four-storey structure. The tower’s south-west front bears a swan mosaic, the town’s historic emblem, along with the current coat of arms designed by Otmar Hillitzer in 1961. A clock is set into the gable between the two pitched roofs, and the opposite side also displays the town’s arms. The tower remains a quiet witness to the town’s past at the edge of the square.