Stumpfer Turm, Freestanding bell tower of the Evangelical Reformed parish church of St. Johann in Lemgo.

Stumpfer Turm is a sturdy brick bell tower in Lemgo, all that remains standing from the original St. Johann church. Its narrow openings and simple tiled roof give it the appearance of a compact fortress, and it rises from a cemetery containing graves spanning several centuries.

A wooden predecessor building stood here from around 780, later replaced by a stone church. When Lemgo was founded by Bernhard zur Lippe in the 12th or 13th century, a larger church dedicated to St. Johannis extra muros was built over it. The church was demolished in 1638, leaving only the tower.

The tower has long served as the religious heart of the community, and its bells continue to shape the rhythm of daily life here. On Sundays and holidays, the historic bell from 1398 still rings before services, linking centuries of faith with the present day.

The tower stands in the cemetery of St. Johann, outside Lemgo's old town. The bells hang in a two-bay wooden frame; the smaller one, cast on 25 May 1398, is the oldest dated bell in Lippe. On Sundays and holidays at 9 a.m. it rings the Weckläuten, and both bells sound for services and Saturday evening at 6 p.m. for ten minutes.

The tower takes its name from its shape: because it lacks a pointed spire, locals call it Stumpfer Turm, meaning 'Stubby Tower,' matching its squat, box-like appearance. The oldest bell, cast in 1398, is among the rarest examples of Gothic bell craftsmanship in Westphalia.