Metzgerturm
Metzgerturm (DONAU 3 FM) stands in Ulm, Germany, beside the Danube as a medieval brick tower. Built around 1340, its square walls carry pointed-arch gates and an overhanging upper storey. A steep hipped roof completes the structure, which rises about 36 metres.
The fortification formed part of the Staufer defences and led towards the municipal slaughterhouse called Metzig. It was not originally a city gate. After the city wall moved nearer the Danube in 1480, the tower took a reserve position. Engineers explain the tilt through uneven foundations beneath marshy ground. One side rested on the old city wall, while wooden supports carried the city-facing side. Those supports eventually rotted after the Danube water level fell. Concrete foundations added in 1911 slowed the movement considerably.
A local legend blames imprisoned butchers, who supposedly crowded into one corner and tipped the structure. The tower leans about 2.05 metres north-west, producing an angle of 3.3 degrees. Its roof tiles come from historic buildings in Ulm.
- City
- Ulm
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