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All Germany Lübeck Half Tower

Half Tower

A tilted half-timbered house from 1672 is built into a salvaged segment of a medieval wall.

Lübeck, Germany

Added By
Luis Morato
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The 13th-century fortress tower with houses from 1672 (No. 47-51).   Kresspahl/Public Domain
The 13th-century fortress tower with houses from 1672 (No. 47-51).   Kresspahl/Public Domain
Half house, half castle.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
  Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
View of Lübeck, An der Mauer 51.   Dietmar Rabich/CC BY-SA 4.0
A half-timbered house detail.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
The house has a certain angle of inclination.   Luis Morato / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Lübeck, Germany, is known for its medieval and brick Gothic architecture. Bits of the city’s medieval heritage are still scattered throughout the city. Even remnants of its former 13th-century wall still remain intact after centuries of neglect and even a major demolition effort.

In 1672, a clever architect took advantage of one particular slice of the derelict, unused fortification and built a half-timbered house within one of its hollow towers. The wall curves around the back of the house, grasping it in a brick embrace. The combination of the house and medieval tower make an usual, but oddly coherent, whole. Though the red and white house is tilted at a wonky angle, it’s still standing today.

The tower that encases the back of the house is a half tower, meaning the structure was hollow. It was designed without a back wall to make it difficult for assailants to climb over, since those who tried would be forced to balance atop its narrow rim.

The house is located on a street called An der Mauer, which translates to “on the wall.” The medieval wall stretched along the street, located along the southeastern edge of the Old Town, until most of it was finally torn down in 1884.

Related Tags

Architecture Architectural Oddities Walls Houses Towers Homes

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The house is about a mile from the train station.

Community Contributors

Added By

Luis Morato

Edited By

erjeffery, Johan SWE

  • erjeffery
  • Johan SWE

Published

December 14, 2017

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Sources
  • https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCbeck
  • https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_der_Mauer
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCbeck
  • https://www.proz.com/kudoz/catalan_to_english/architecture/1041515-bestorre.html
  • http://www.castillosasociacion.es/es/content/bestorre
  • https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestorre
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_tower
Half Tower
51 An der Mauer
Lübeck
Germany
53.862363, 10.689804
Get Directions

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Photo of Lübeck

Lübeck

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Places 8

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Photo of Lübeck

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