Beyond the walls and moats of the medieval city, these four watch towers were built. They are called Warttuerme, or waiting towers, in German. Ideally situated on a hill, from these towers the watchmen could see approaching invaders, merchants, fires and general visitors (maybe tourists heading to early CeBIT conventions?). He reached his perch in the tower by climbing a ladder, which could be pulled up in case of danger. In Hannover there are not many hills to build on. Lindener Turm is the only one that stands high enough to see the city laid out below. The other three are on the edge of Hannover's forest, the Eilenriede.
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| View of Lindener Turm and Hannover, 1654. We have this print in our living room |
I imagine that the watchman, as he waited, had plenty of time to himself. He could lean out the window, chain-smoking, wearing only his long-johns, occasionally taking a break to sharpen his sword. He probably looked just like the guy across the street from us, who leans out his window most of the day in his undershirt, smoking cigarettes and watching traffic. I suppose the difference is that the watchman did this for his job. I'm pretty sure our neighbor doesn't have one.
What I like about these four towers is that they are still standing. The original wall around the city center was reduced to rubble during World War 2, and the scraps that remain are hardly noticeable between modern banks and office buildings. The four watch towers were built on what was the outskirts of the old city and, maybe for that reason, emerged from the war mostly intact. Now they stand solemn, medieval guard over trendy neighborhoods and, in one case, a hockey stadium. These tall towers are a reminder that this city is really, really old.
Lindener Turm
At the base of Lindener Berg, one of the few hills in town, stands the massive Lindener Turm. It was built in 1392. In the 1600s Duke Georg Wilhelm had it turned into a windmill, and required farmers from the surrounding area to mill all their grain there. It continued to operate until 1927. The tower overlooks Linden, which started as a royal vegetable garden, became an industrial suburb, and now is a haven for the Hannover hip. A Biergarten lies next to the tower, and for week or two in spring the hill is covered in bluebells. There's an official name for it: the blue wonder (das Blaue Wunder).
Lister Turm
The Lister Turm is a more fancy-looking tower. Its half-timbered design makes it seem like something from a fairy tale. The original tower, built in the 1380s, probably looked more like the Lindener Turm. The one we have now was rebuilt in 1898, in the more romantic style of Hansel and Gretel, with a matching building attached. There's a Biergarten there too, which has stood there since at least the 17th century. After a few big beers, the watchman could lose hid focus and let a few invaders sneak in. Now there are no watchmen, but there are long picnic tables, a gyros stand and plenty of passing joggers and strollers on their way home to the List.
Lister Turm was also the site of a scary event in Hannover history. In 1933, the SPD political party tried to assemble at the tower. They were blocked by the Nazi SA police force. The SPD members resisted and three were shot and killed by the SA.
Döhrener Turm
This is the tower that watches over the beginning of many bike rides for Brian and me. It's near the south end of the Maschsee lake, in the suburb of Döhren. Built in 1382, it was a military outpost, a customs station (with tavern) and a place to watch out for timber thieves coming out of the woods. It burned down in 1486 when the Duke of Wolfenbüttel's army attacked Hannover. It was restored, returned to use, restored again, repeat. Now the tower stands in the middle of the road, with a tram line running beside it. Even the tram has been there since 1890.
Pferdeturm
The Pferdeturm might be the most popular tower in Hannover, especially on a damp winter evening. The real attraction is the stadium directly behind the tower. It's the Eisstadion am Pferdeturm - the ice arena where the Hannover Indians hockey team plays. I have written about the Indians before, about going to the games and packing in to the open-air arena. But I never learned much about the tower until now. It was built in 1387 (lots of tower building going on in that decade). As in the other towers, a watchman monitored who came in and out of Hannover. Later on, a stable was built next to the tower, giving it the name Pferdeturm, or horse tower. It was also a place to watch out for timber thieves coming from the forest. There must have been a spree of wood theft going on in 17th century Hannover (I guess if you consider that would be like stealing oil or gas today...). And the rest of the tower's story is pretty quiet until the stadium opened in 1959.
I like these towers. I like them because, though they are more than 600 years old, they fit right in with Hannover today. You can almost see the watchman inside, watching for thieves coming out of the forest, hanging out his window while drinking beer and smoking cigarettes.
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