Of the original four town gates, only the Dammtor is still preserved. It was built in the middle of the 14th century, is 35 metres high and has an internal width of 4 metres for vehicles to pass through
The Barth fortifications originally had four gates (Langer Tor, Dammtor, Wiektor and Fischertor), but only the Dammtor is still preserved. It was first mentioned in 1357 and measures 34.25 metres up to the very top. Under the roof there is an overhanging aperture supported by two brackets, where hot tar or other objects could be dropped on attackers – emphasising the gate’s original function as a defence structure. It was the finest of the four gates and is now protected as an architectural monument and a historic building. It was an important part of the town’s defensive fortifications which were built from 1325 to 1400 but gradually deteriorated around 1700 due to a lack of resources, but the layout of the defences can still be seen as a circle enclosing the town centre. The gate was the town’s boundary to the west. The land in front of the Dammtor was undeveloped until the first barns were built there after the 17th century. A fortified embankment led westwards to the river Barthe and then to the communities of Pruchten, Bresewitz, Fuhlendorf and Bodstedt bordering the Bodden (lagoon). The upper floors of the building were originally accessed from the adjoining town wall with its battlements, guardhouses and gatekeeper houses, and later from the attic of a neighbouring bakery (in the 1950s). It was only because of the demolition of the adjoining buildings on both sides that the Dammtor was not demolished in 1874 to make space for the increased traffic volume in the town.
