Buddenturm, Medieval fortification tower in Münster, Germany

Buddenturm is the oldest surviving part of Münster's former city fortifications, built around 1150 as a defensive tower on the northern wall. It is a cylindrical stone tower with a conical roof, standing at the junction of Münzstraße, Bergstraße, Buddenstraße and the Promenade. Its present height is 30 metres, reduced from earlier structures after wartime damage.

Buddenturm was built around 1150 as a defensive tower of Münster's city wall, originally 20 m high. In 1533, just before the Anabaptist rule, it also served as a prison. From 1598 it was used as a powder tower, and in 1629 a 10 m hexagonal stair tower was added on the west side. When the city fortifications were demolished between 1764 and 1767, the tower remained standing because it still served as a powder magazine.

The tower shows how medieval Münster protected itself and what building methods were necessary for defense. You can see in its structure how people of that era thought about city protection.

The tower is easy to reach on foot from the city center and visible from outside. You can view the old structure and its details from several angles.

In the 1800s the tower was converted into a water storage system and held a large water tank at that time. This change saved the structure from demolition and gave it a completely different purpose.