Roter Turm

The 35 metre high Red Tower is the oldest landmark in the city of Chemnitz. It was built in the first decades of the 12th century and served as the seat of a bailiff. It was integrated into the medieval city wall when it was built. The bailiwick was associated with high jurisdiction (blood court), from which the name Roter Turm (blood tower) may be derived. However, it is also possible that it was named after the dominant red colour of the building material used. The Red Tower acquired its present form by the end of the 16th century. The brick upper storey with its pointed arched blind arcade architecture was built at the end of the 15th century. From this time onwards, it also housed a town prison, which was used until around 1900.

Today, the Red Tower houses an exhibition on the "great Chemnitz artists" such as Georgius Agricola, Marianne Brandt, Richard Hartmann, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Stefan Heym. These famous daughters and sons are commemorated on bronze plaques in the pavements around the Red Tower.