Spalenschwibbogen

The Spalenschwibbogen, also known as the Inner Spalentor, was a historic city gate and part of Basel's inner city wall that stood at the top of the Spalenberg. Originally built to replace an eleventh-century gate, it was first mentioned in writing in 1230 and served as the main entrance to the city before the outer city wall was built. The massive, square tower of cut stone was topped with a pyramid roof, a small bell tower, and a wooden ring that projected on the field side as a covered gallery. Well-known painters such as Lawelin and Hans Frank decorated the structure with elaborate frescoes in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. After the new Spalentor was completed, the old arch served as a prison with a variety of cells, including the notorious Witches' Cage and the Oak Forest for serious cases. Archbishop Andreas Jamometić was also imprisoned here and died in the tower in 1484. The structure was demolished in 1838, and its clock faces were moved to the Spalentor. This marked the beginning of the systematic removal of Basel's medieval fortifications.