Laufer Torturm

The Laufer Torturm (Laufer Gate Tower) in Nuremberg is one of the four distinctive round main towers of the city's medieval fortifications and goes by the old name Schwarz M. A sandstone ashlar structure with a tall rusticated base, a gun platform, and a conical roof, it is a protected historic monument. Originally built as a square tower around 1377, it was rebuilt in its present round form in 1556 after suffering heavy damage in the Second Margrave War. During World War II, the building, with walls about four meters (13 feet) thick, served as an air-raid shelter for the local population. Today the tower stands empty and is not open to visitors, but together with the adjoining Laufertormauer (Laufer Gate Wall) and the Laufertorzwinger (Laufer Gate outer ward), it forms a historic ensemble in the northeast of the city.