Originally “nova turris” (New Tower). Fortified tower with battlements, 12 metres high (without dome), diameter 7.70 metres, wall thickness 1.90 metres
In the town records it is first mentioned in the 16th century as the “New Tower”. The illustration by Braun and Hogenberg from 1590 shows it as a fortified tower with battlements. The tower with a dungeon was part of the prison and execution complex which was located at the end of Turmstrasse in 1550. The name Fangelturm (prison tower) probably only became established in the 18th century when the two storeys of the tower were converted into prison cells. In the 19th century a domed roof was built on the tower and decorated with a weathervane. After 1960 an astronomic observatory was built on the roof for use by the town’s upper schools. In this case, therefore, old and new have come together to form a happy combination. From Turmstrasse, visitors can use a staircase in the covered side building to reach the first floor of the tower. On this floor there are two arrow slits, and a third has been bricked in.
