A chilling tale echoes from this small tower. This is the Weckschnapp. It stands on Cologne’s Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer. The Weckschnapp is more than just a medieval turret. It is part of Cologne’s old city wall.
The name “Weckschnapp” comes from a dark Cologne legend. It tells of a cruel execution method. Guards supposedly hung a “Weck” a small bread in the prison cell. Prisoners starved and tried to jump to grab the bread. They would then fall through a trapdoor. Below was a shaft full of knives that dropped them into the Rhine.
Only one prisoner escaped. He was so thin from starvation that he fell through the knives untouched.
The Weckschnapp legend first appeared in writing in 1826. Ernst Weyden a Cologne writer included it in his book. He noted it came from oral tradition. Weyden described a tower near St. Kunibert church. He said it was known as “die Weckschnapp.”
The legend connects to the Kunibertsturm’s role as a prison. People underwent interrogations there. However the Weckschnapp turret was never linked to the Rhine. Prisoners weren’t held in such a visible spot. The story likely refers to an “Ark”. This was a fortified part in the Rhine connected to the Kunibert defenses. A bridge connected it. The great flood of 1784 largely destroyed this “Ark”.
The name “Weckschnapp” moved to this turret in the 19th century. Locals applied it to the only remaining part of the Kunibert defenses. It even appeared on official maps. Today’s maps call it “Kunibertsturm.”
The “Kunibertstürmchen” dates back to 1446. It was part of the Kunibertstorburg’s outer defenses. This mirrored the Bayenturm’s structure. A city view from 1570 by Arnold Mercator shows the gate tower and Ark clearly. The “Kunibertstürmchen” was linked to the Kunibertsturm by a wall walkway.
This tower’s unique position outside the city wall made it a landmark. It was used for location descriptions like the harbor or train station “am Türmchen”. Street names also reflect it such as “Thürmchenswall”. This was the Wallstrasse to Eigelstein and the lost “Thürmchensgasse” on the Rhine front.
The city wall was leveled from 1881. The Kunibert defenses were torn down in 1895. City architect Josef Stübben restored the remaining turret. He did the same to the remaining city gates. The “Kunibertstürmchen” survived World War II without major damage.
In 1956 architect Martin Kratz first converted the tower for living. After settling land issues he added a one-story house.
So while standing before the Weckschnapp remember its layered past. It is a defensive tower a landmark and the home of a chilling legend. It has been rebuilt and repurposed. The Weckschnapp stands as a testament to Cologne’s resilience. It is a captivating blend of history and mystery.