Tower Climbing - Blaser Tower

The 51-meter-high Blaserturm with 212 steps in the historic center invites visitors to enjoy a view over the city. On certain days, you can see all the way to Lake Constance and the Säntis! The former watchtower and the associated Waaghaus are among the most significant historical and cultural monuments of the city. Directly attached to the Waaghaus is the 51-meter-high Blaserturm, whose peculiar position is likely due to the city wall that originally ran here. The name of the tower comes from one of the tasks that the watchtower fulfilled at that time. If a threat approached the city, one of the two guards would blow his horn. Later, the tower was also used as a fire tower, as the present-day Marienplatz used to be a water ditch. When the tower was built is unclear, but its history is long. There are speculations that the relocation of the city wall in the 14th century, during which the old city wall running from the Kornhaus to the Frauentor was demolished, may be related to the collapse of the Blaserturm in 1552. Due to the expansion of the city, it moved to the center and was the central urban watchtower until 1911. From 1553 to 1556, the tower was rebuilt in the Renaissance style. Above the old entrance portal on the west side, there is still today a beautiful imperial city double coat of arms as well as a commemorative plaque with a poem about the collapse and the paintings from that time. Just recently, the interior of the tower was renovated.