Imagine Regensburg’s skyline in the Middle Ages. It bristled with dozens of tall towers. Today we’re standing before one of the most impressive. This is the Golden Tower.
The Golden Tower is not just any tower. It is a symbol of power and wealth. The tower dates back to the 13th century. Wealthy patrician families built these towers as status symbols. The higher the tower, the more important the family.
The Golden Tower stands 50 meters tall. It has nine stories. It towers above the rooftops of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Haymo and Waller were super-rich long-distance traders. They started building their “Protzturm” around 1250. Initially it had only five stories. Around 1300, they added another four stories. They wanted to show off their enormous wealth.
The name Waller comes from “Welsch”. This means people from northern Italy or the Swiss-French borderland. The Golden Tower served as a reminder of the immense economic power of Regensburg’s patricians. This power ceased around 1400.
The Golden Tower is located at Wahlenstraße 16. It is part of a high medieval building complex. This complex dates back to 1100. It extends to Untere Bachgasse 7.
The tower was rarely used to store luxury goods. Instead it was a showpiece. It proclaimed: “Look how rich and powerful we are.” The tower was modeled on Florentine towers.
Inside the Golden Tower, a wooden spiral staircase winds up to the 9th floor. This staircase is an architectural masterpiece. In the tower room, oil-painted figures decorate the wood-paneled walls. These paintings were created around 1600. They depict unclothed male and female sculptures.
Around 1565, Melichor Bocksberger painted the facades of the upper stories. He included the coat of arms symbols of friendly Regensburg towns. Bocksberger also created the first David and Goliath fresco around 1570.
From 1530 to 1540, Regensburg magistrates held secret meetings in the tower room. Led by Johann Hiltner, they prepared for the city’s conversion to Protestantism. The first public Protestant communion took place on October 15, 1542. This marked the introduction of the Reformation in Regensburg.
Until the mid-1600s, the “zum Goldenen Turm” inn stood near the tower. A special house chapel was also located there. Today, the former chapel houses the “étagère”, a store for fine living.
The Golden Tower is not open to the public. However its courtyard can be visited at any time. The courtyard is accessible from Wahlenstraße and Untere Bachgasse. Though you cannot climb it today, the Golden Tower remains a powerful symbol of Regensburg’s rich history.