The White Tower is one of the last remaining parts of the old city fortifications that protected Darmstadt starting in 1330. For more than three centuries, it served as a defensive tower with a hipped roof and battlements. The lower section, with its 1.75-meter-thick walls, housed a dungeon measuring a total of four square meters.

When Landgrave Ernst Ludwig had the new suburb built along what is now Luisenstraße and had the city walls demolished at the beginning of the 18th century, only the tower remained.

 

The landgrave’s master builder, Erich Philipp von Plönnies, converted it into a bell tower—it was raised, given a new Baroque domed roof with a long spire, and a new entrance. Above all, however, the White Tower now housed two bells that the Landgrave had cast in 1704 to call the citizens to prayer.


The so-called “Silver Bell” (one of the two, or a third bell?) served as a death bell. It was rung only when a member of the House of Hesse had died.

 

In the 20th century, the White Tower served as a repository for valuable treasures from the State Archives. During the air raid in September 1944, which reduced large parts of Darmstadt to rubble and ashes, the White Tower was also severely damaged. Only the outer shell remained standing. For this reason, and because it had since become an obstacle to traffic, the Darmstadt City Council decided on June 12, 1947, to demolish the White Tower. However, they had not considered that the tower belonged to the State of Hesse. As the owner, the state not only had the tower restored but also added an additional story and restored the familiar domed roof. In early 1979, the interior of the tower was renovated, followed in 1984 by a thorough and meticulous complete renovation—including the re-gilding of the clock hands and dials.

 

Plans to set up a café or student apartments in the tower were never realized. The tower stood vacant until July 1997.


Since then, the Freundeskreis Weißer Turm e.V. has been breathing new life into this historic monument.


Special tours: Tel. 0151 2263 5269
 

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Samstag 14:00 - 18:00
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Closed during the winter months.

Contact person

+49 151 2263 5269

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