Alexanderturm
The Alexanderturm is a late medieval city tower in Mainz, built in the fifteenth century on Roman foundations. Its predecessor was a round tower from the fourth century.
Roman fortifications once marked this northwest corner of Mogontiacum, where the city wall turned towards the Rhine. Mainz repaired those defences during the Merovingian and Carolingian periods.
The present tower has a round masonry body, a pointed roof, a raised doorway, and small arrow-slit-like openings. Its plain form recalls Roman building methods.
Medieval records called it the Round Windmill Tower, while later use gave it the name Powder Tower. The Powder Tower stored gunpowder for the Mainz garrison.
The name Alexanderturm appeared after Alexander Barracks were built nearby after 1860. The tower later served as a water tower and was described as roofless by the late 1920s.
The Alexanderturm stands in the park of Kupferberg Sektkellerei on the Kästrich. Its private setting means visitors cannot enter the tower.
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- Mainz
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