Hexenturm, Medieval tower in Schallmoos district, Salzburg, Austria
The Hexenturm was a solid stone tower with towering walls and a square base located in the Schallmoos neighborhood. The structure was designed as a defensive corner tower integrated into the city's medieval fortification system.
Archbishop Bernhard von Rohr commissioned this tower between 1465 and 1480 as part of the city's second fortification wall. The tower was struck by bombs in November 1944 and subsequently demolished, replaced by a residential building.
The tower housed prisoners accused of witchcraft, reflecting the darker side of medieval city life and the anxieties of that era. Today, visitors can sense how this place was central to one of history's troubling chapters.
The original tower no longer exists, destroyed in 1944 and replaced by a modern residential building. To understand the site's history, visitors can explore the Hohensalzburg Fortress Museum, which preserves artifacts from this era.
A wrought iron weather vane shaped like a witch once crowned the tower's peak and remains its only original artifact. This carefully crafted weather vane now resides in the Hohensalzburg Fortress Museum and displays the artistic details medieval craftspeople invested in such decorations.
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