Zwinger (Goslar)
The Zwinger in Goslar is a battery tower and part of the fortifications of the old imperial city of Goslar . It stands on Thomaswall in the south of the city and was built in 1517. On this side, Goslar is heavily overlaid by the nearby Rammelsberg , which in the event of a siege would have made a favorable gun position for attackers; therefore the city fortifications here required special protection from the strong battery tower.
The stone work of the Goslarer Zwinger was mainly extracted from the sandstone of the Sudmerberg north-east of Goslar and walled with burnt lime . Since the lime burning was still incomplete, the builders mixed the mortar with horsehair , quark , goat's milk and ox blood to harden it .
Two sandstone slabs with the coats of arms of the German Empire and the city of Goslar and the inscription “Anno dm MDXV II” are located right under the console wreath. The original conical roof was dismantled in 1857.
With a wall thickness in the lower area of 6.5 meters, a diameter of 26 meters and a height of 20 meters, the Zwinger is one of the strongest still existing and used fortification towers in Europe.
The Goslarer Zwinger has been privately owned since August 1, 1936. Today the Zwinger houses a restaurant on the ground floor, three holiday apartments on the middle floor and in the upper area a small museum with weapons , armor and torture devices from the Middle Ages .
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Coordinates: 51 ° 54 ′ 10.3 " N , 10 ° 25 ′ 58.1" E