Iron Tower, Medieval watchtower in Mainz, Germany.

The Iron Tower is a late Romanesque gate tower begun around 1200, its round-arched portal flanked on the Rhine side by two sandstone lions, one gripping a ram and the other a dragon. In the first half of the 15th century it was raised to six storeys. After burning out in 1945 it was rebuilt in 1958 with a slate-covered hipped roof.

The tower was built around 1240 as part of Mainz's city fortifications, initially serving as a defensive structure. By the 17th century it had been repurposed as a military prison before eventually becoming a cultural space.

The tower is home to the Kunstverein Eisenturm Mainz, which uses it as a gallery and awards the Mainzer Eisenturm-Preis there. The Mainz photography club and Mainz Rotaract are also based in the building. The tower can be visited during the Tag des offenen Denkmals.

The tower is easily accessible from the city center and regularly open to visitors during exhibition hours. It is helpful to check opening times and current exhibition schedules beforehand to ensure the space is active during your visit.

The two sandstone lions above the Rhine-side arch are easy to miss: one grips a ram, read as a symbol of church power, the other a dragon, standing for secular power. Romanesque art used such stylised pairs as an image of watchful defence.