Powder Tower (Wiedenbrück)
The Powder Tower is the oldest secular building in the city of Rheda-Wiedenbrück , Gütersloh district .
In the Middle Ages, the city of Wiedenbrück was surrounded by a city wall and an upstream kennel . The powder tower in the Wiedenbrück district is the last visible remnant of this former city fortification. It is a semi-circular shell tower of brick with low pants nicks , who with the help of arquebuses could be defended. It probably dates from the 15th or early 16th century . According to more recent findings, the traditional name “ Powder Tower ” is incorrect because the tower was never used to store gunpowder due to its location.
The tower stands directly on the banks of the Ems , but is no longer visible from there because of the dense tree population. The open semicircle of the tower can be entered from the Mühlenwall and the tower can be circled on a narrow path.
After the introduction of firearms, the fence wall, which was built in the 13th century, was reinforced by semicircular towers at the beginning of the 16th century, which made it possible to defend it with hook boxes. Presumably, the towers were erected about 80 meters apart.
The front wall of the tower is two meters thick in the middle of the curve. In the inside of a respective five meters deep shooting niches are embedded, with the step-shaped stepped externally embrasures are provided for use of firearms. Four loops are trouser loops with a gusset in the middle . Originally the inner floor of the tower was 40 centimeters lower. The tower was also around twice as high as it is today. It is believed that it had a steep tile roof and that a wooden false ceiling made shooting from the upper floor possible.
In the upper, outer area of the tower, under the upper edge, the bricked half of the Wiedenbrücker coat of arms, a six-spoke wheel, can be seen.
In 1713 the city of Wiedenbrück leased the tower, then known as Dwenger, to the court lord Constantin Tecklenborg on the condition that the tower be kept ready for defense. In the 19th century, the tower then presumably came into the ownership of the Tecklenborg family. The name Powder Tower had been used since around 1920.
During the Second World War there was an air force radio station on the western bank of the Ems, which was destroyed in 1945 by a large explosive charge. As a result of the explosion, the roof and parts of the wall of the powder tower collapsed, so that the building could no longer be used. In 1980 the city redeveloped the ruins at the instigation of a citizens' initiative .
Coordinates: 51 ° 50 ′ 4.8 ″ N , 8 ° 18 ′ 30.6 ″ E