The Thick Tower (, ) erected in 1250 is part of the historic fortification of

Görlitz Görlitz (; ; ; ; ; Lusatian dialects, East Lusatian: , , ) is a town in the Germany, German state of Saxony. It is on the river Lusatian Neisse and is the largest town in Upper Lusatia, the second-largest town in the region of Lusatia after ...

. The tall tower is the most massive tower in the city. Its walls in the lower part reach a thickness of , thus the name of a ''thick'' tower. Apart from it, the Nikolai Tower and the Reichenbach Tower are still preserved. In total,

had four large watchtowers and defense towers.

History

The tower was erected in 1250. In 1305 a ''stone tower'' and a ''stone gate'' next to the ''stone street'' were mentioned. The tower guard got a living room and a chamber inside the tower in 1529, which have been abolished in October 1904. The tower kept its appearance throughout the centuries. However the fighting platform was walled up and a new copper hood in

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

style was added in the 16th century. The former triple gateway next to the tower has been demolished. Originally the inner gate was connected to the city walls and stood in front of the tower on the ''Stone street''. The middle passage was covered with a building and had a

portcullis A portcullis () is a heavy, vertically closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications. It consists of a latticed Grille (architecture), grille made of wood and/or metal, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway. ...

made of wood and equipped with iron shoes. The outer gate was a fortified building similar to a

bastion A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fire from the ...

. A stone bridge spanned the trench. The bridge and the gate were connected by another drawbridge, which has been replaced in 1772. In 1778 the portcullis was removed and in 1838 the outer and the middle gate were removed. In 1847-48 the inner gate and the stone bridge were demolished. The trench was filled. Between 1974 and 1999 students of the local university used the upper tower for their parties. Since 2006 tourists can book guided tours on the tower. Frauentor_goerlitz.jpg, Historic

fortification A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

next to the tower Dicker_Turm_(Görlitz)-07-Aussicht_NNO.jpg, View from the tower Dicker Turm (Görlitz)-06-Turmstube.jpg, Tower premises

Sandstone Relief

Since the town had been loyal to the crown during the

Hussite wars The Hussite Wars, also called the Bohemian Wars or the Hussite Revolution, were a series of civil wars fought between the Hussites and the combined Catholic forces of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund, the Papacy, a ...

, it was awarded a town coat of arms by Emperor

Sigismund Sigismund (variants: Sigmund, Siegmund) is a German proper name, meaning "protection through victory", from Old High German ''sigu'' "victory" + ''munt'' "hand, protection". Tacitus latinises it ''Segimundus''. There appears to be an older form of ...

. The sandstone

relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...

by Briccius Gauske on the tower depicts this coat of arms together with the two figures of

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a female given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religion * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also called the Blesse ...

and

Saint Barbara Saint Barbara (; ; ; ), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an Early Christianity, early Christian Greek saint and martyr. There is no reference to her in the authentic early Christian writings nor in the origin ...

. Originally the relief was located next to the inner gate, but was attached to the tower in 1856. The inscription on the relief states... No path is impossible for bravery

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Görlitz Tourist attractions in Görlitz Fortified towers in Germany Buildings and structures completed in 1250