Buddenturm, Munster

Buddenturm, also known as Pulverturm (Gunpowder Tower), is the oldest surviving piece of the Münster fortifications, once part of the northern city wall.

The tower was built circa 1150 and originally stood 20 meters high. In 1533, just before the Münster commune of 1534-1535, it was turned into a prison and, from 1598, was used for gunpowder storage. In 1629, the tower was reconstructed, with its height subsequently increased by 10 meters.

After the city fortifications were demolished, between 1764 and 1767, the Buddenturm remained in use as gunpowder storage until 1771; then it was repurposed, once again, as a garrison prison, similarly to the nearby Zwinger tower.

In 1879, the city administration bought the tower from the military, for 3,620 marks, and subsequently converted it into a water facility. For that purpose, the building's stair top was dismantled and another 20 meters were added to accommodate a 500-m³ water tank. Simultaneously, the tiled conical roof was replaced with a pseudo-Gothic crenelated crown. Reminding of that period now is the measuring scale and the downpipes preserved inside the tower.

During the Second World War, the allied bombing partially destroyed the building. In the course of its restoration after the war, the Buddenturm regained the appearance it had before being converted into a water tower. Following that, for a while, it was used as a street lighting control facility. In 1992, the tower was declared an architectural monument, and in 2002 saw another restoration during which some fragments of the ancient fortress wall were discovered. In 2003, all the wooden parts inside the tower were also renovated.