Martinsturm, Fortified tower chapel in Upper Town Bregenz, Austria
Martinsturm is a fortified tower in Bregenz's Upper Town featuring a distinctive wooden onion dome and three stacked arcades. The structure displays arched openings supported by columns at each level, with a gallery at the top from which views spread across the city.
The building was originally constructed around 1250 as a grain storage facility for the city. Between 1599 and 1601, master builder Benedetto Prato transformed it into a fortified chapel tower.
The chapel inside contains frescoes from different periods showing scenes from the Passion of Christ and religious figures. Visitors can still see these artworks today and understand how people worshipped in this space over centuries.
The tower is open daily from April through October for visitors to explore local history exhibitions and enjoy views from the top gallery. Inside, the museum displays rotating exhibitions that help visitors understand the site's past and its role in the region.
This structure was the first baroque building in the Lake Constance region and gained fame for its onion dome, one of the largest in Central Europe at the time. The elaborately designed wooden roof remains a defining feature of the city's skyline today.
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