Metzgerturm, Medieval tower in Ulm, Germany

Metzgerturm is a medieval defensive tower built in the 14th century that leans noticeably to one side near the Danube River at the city wall. The tilt measures about 2 meters and creates a distinctive crooked profile that stands out along the riverside.

The Metzgerturm was built around 1340 as a gate of the Staufer city fortification, opening toward the city's Metzig, the slaughterhouse. Its square brick form with pointed-arch passages and a steep hipped roof dates from that period. The tower's lean results from later subsidence of the marshy ground, not from construction.

The tower takes its name from the butcher house that once stood nearby and shaped the city's meat trade. It remains a reminder of this craft tradition and how medieval cities organized their trades and social order.

The best time to visit is on clear days when the tilt becomes very noticeable from the opposite riverbank. The wall walk around the tower is accessible and offers different viewpoints along the river to photograph and observe the lean.

The tower leans 2.05 metres to the northwest, a tilt of 3.3 degrees, caused by later subsidence of the marshy ground beneath it. For comparison, the Leaning Tower of Pisa tilts 3.97 degrees. A legend explains the lean differently: corpulent butchers locked in the tower crowded into one corner in fear of punishment for inferior goods when the angry mayor entered.