Klause Adelgunde

Klause Adelgunde is a historic fortification tower in Linz, Austria, standing beside the Danube as part of the former Maximilianische Turmlinie. Built during the Napoleonic Wars, it formed one of 32 towers designed to protect the city. Iron rings in the walls held a chain that could stretch across the river, while a connecting wall climbed the hillside towards the former Warte Walpurga.

The military system became obsolete in 1858, but the tower later gained commemorative and political roles. Karl Beurle acquired it in 1917 for the Burschenschaft der Ostmark, which created a memorial to those killed in the First World War and a room recalling German universities lost after 1918. Inscriptions linked the site to the Anschluss before 1945, when they were removed and the memorial expanded to include both world wars. Today, the building serves as a memorial and museum connected with the Deutsche Burschenschaft, while critics describe it as a continuing site of Anschluss propaganda and nationalist activity.

Restoration took place in 1989–1990 and 2001–2002, and the tower remains protected as a historic monument. The surviving wall traces show how the fortification once rose directly from the riverbank, with other remnants of the defensive line visible nearby.