Steinerner Turm

Steinerner Turm stands in Dortmund, south of the B1 and near the Westfalenhallen underground station. This historic watchtower occupied a position outside the medieval city walls. Its location once overlooked the trade route running south from Dortmund towards Cologne.

The tower formed part of Dortmund’s military defences and stood at the boundary of the fortified Stadthagen. That surrounding area had existed since the thirteenth century, while its fortifications took shape in the fourteenth. During the Soest Feud in the mid-fifteenth century, enemy troops besieged the tower and damaged it. Thick brick walls then reinforced the lower section after the attack.

The lower half remains original, while the reconstructed upper half records the building’s later form. Five comparable observation points once surrounded Dortmund, with the later Hörde Watchtower marking the southern border. U45 and U46 trains, plus bus 450, serve the nearby station, and the listed monument is wheelchair accessible.