Medieval signal tower,
15th century
The watch tower, high above the city stands here since the Middle Ages.
It is the landmark of Nierstein. From here you have a clear view of the Rhine Valley and across to Oppenheim and Schwabsburg. And that exactly was once why the tower was built in the first place! Its task was to transmit signals between the Landskron Castle in Oppenheim and the Schwabsburg Castle Tower. Today one would probably use a satellite dish or a cell phone mast for this. In 1521 the guards here were still a bit “low-tech” and used a fire basket that was attached on the roof of the tower. After the tower had lost its function a few centuries later, a pair of storks nested in that very basket every year.
In 1911 the tower was officially transferred from the Grand Duchy of Hesse into the possession of the municipality of Nierstein. Then a door and a staircase was installed. From the 1960s on the tower was primarily used as an observation post to fend off starlings in the vineyards. Eventually, the tower started to decay – the plaster was crumbling, a crack went through the wall, it was a sad sight. In 2000, however, the Friends of the Watch Tower were founded – with the aim of getting the five-century-old tower back on track. In a joint effort of the state, the preservation of monuments, the city of Nierstein and The Friends of the Watch Tower, the tower was renovated, steel rails were installed, the outdoor area was newly arranged and almond trees were planted.
And so the tower still greets friendly every day to Oppenheim and Schwabsburg and keeps watch over Nierstein.
Well, and that brings us to the end of our tour. Enjoy the view a little more. Maybe from up here you can recognize a few stops that we have visited today. There is also another Tour at the market square, which tells a bit more about the noble courts and Nierstein in the Middle Ages. We also have a tour in Schwabsburg that tells of life under the castle tower. Maybe that’s something for next time?
We hope you enjoyed our tour – if so, tell your friends about it! We’d be happy and appreciate it.
All right, the map at the end of the website shows you how to get back to the Nierstein market square and the town hall where we started.
Route to the marketplace:
Arrived?
Medieval signal tower,
15th century
The watch tower, high above the city stands here since the Middle Ages.
It is the landmark of Nierstein. From here you have a clear view of the Rhine Valley and across to Oppenheim and Schwabsburg. And that exactly was once why the tower was built in the first place! Its task was to transmit signals between the Landskron Castle in Oppenheim and the Schwabsburg Castle Tower. Today one would probably use a satellite dish or a cell phone mast for this. In 1521 the guards here were still a bit “low-tech” and used a fire basket that was attached on the roof of the tower. After the tower had lost its function a few centuries later, a pair of storks nested in that very basket every year.
In 1911 the tower was officially transferred from the Grand Duchy of Hesse into the possession of the municipality of Nierstein. Then a door and a staircase was installed. From the 1960s on the tower was primarily used as an observation post to fend off starlings in the vineyards. Eventually, the tower started to decay – the plaster was crumbling, a crack went through the wall, it was a sad sight. In 2000, however, the Friends of the Watch Tower were founded – with the aim of getting the five-century-old tower back on track. In a joint effort of the state, the preservation of monuments, the city of Nierstein and The Friends of the Watch Tower, the tower was renovated, steel rails were installed, the outdoor area was newly arranged and almond trees were planted.
And so the tower still greets friendly every day to Oppenheim and Schwabsburg and keeps watch over Nierstein.
Well, and that brings us to the end of our tour. Enjoy the view a little more. Maybe from up here you can recognize a few stops that we have visited today. There is also another Tour at the market square, which tells a bit more about the noble courts and Nierstein in the Middle Ages. We also have a tour in Schwabsburg that tells of life under the castle tower. Maybe that’s something for next time?
We hope you enjoyed our tour – if so, tell your friends about it! We’d be happy and appreciate it.
All right, the map at the end of the website shows you how to get back to the Nierstein market square and the town hall where we started.
Route to the marketplace:
Arrived?