Martinstor

The Martinstor stands in Wangen im Allgäu, a town in the Allgäu region of Baden-Württemberg. Built in five storeys from Argen pebbles and brick, it is one of three surviving medieval town gates, the others having been demolished in the 19th century. First recorded in 1347, it closes off the Paradiesstraße in the old town to the south-west. The pointed archway still shows traces of Gothic painting. The present appearance dates from 1608, when it was heightened, remodelled and painted by Johann Andreas Rauch. In 1924 August and Josef Braun repainted the façade. On the town side the mural depicts Saint Martin, Ulrich Rösch, Abbot of St. Gallen, and Rupert Neß, Abbot of Ottobeuren, together with the coats of arms of St. Gallen Abbey, the town of Wangen, the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Kingdom of Württemberg. Above these are blind arcades with painted clocks and, facing the town, a sundial. Visitors find a narrow, spire-roofed passage through the gate. The roof is trimmed with wrought-iron gargoyles. The painted figures and heraldic shields remain vivid after centuries of exposure. The gate forms a striking landmark at the edge of the pedestrianised old town, linking the Paradiesstraße with the surrounding streets.