Loewenschede torn, Tallinn

The Loewenschede Tower is one of the medieval defense facilities in Tallinn. Today, this address is Kooli Street 7.

In 1310, the King of Denmark, Erik Menved, a fortification expert Jens Kanne, began to build a new wall around the city of Tallinn on the initiative. Its part also included the buildings of the Cistercian St. Michael's Nunnel Code and part of the area, the so-called nuncoplate. On the new sector, the township Winant Louenschede established the first four -storey circular wall tower in Tallinn.

In 1373 the Loewenschede Tower was completed. Its external diameter was 10.7 meters and the wall thickness on the ground floor 1.55 m. Given the soles, the total height of the Tower I was 15.5 m. The upper city part of the tower built against the city wall support the wall of the wall. The tower was reached by the city wall from the protective course, which has been preserved on the second floor of the current tower. On the second and third floors of the tower, there were five shooting openings with vaulted, which are not in other towers in Tallinn.

1432-1438 completed Loewenschede II Tower. At that time, the weak top of the tower was mainly strengthened and the city's openness was reduced. In the construction phase of Loewenschede III 1455-1456, the upper shooting holes were covered with arch pavement and the open side of the city's city was built. A new internal lining was added, which grew to 2.3 meters on the first floor of the tower and closed all the shooting holes on the second floor. The height of the tower grew from the soles to 24.2 meters. Because it was the most common city tower in Tallinn at the time, it was simply called the big tower. Loewenschede III stone structures have been well preserved since the fourth floor. There are four spacious upright shaped shooting openings in the protruding wall of the room. The room is covered with a cylindrical bone, which carried a heavy waterproof ceiling with emissions and moon supplies. Loewenschede's original platform floor floor has not been preserved, only traces of this tower on the fifth floor. The construction time of the tower helmet is unknown, but the drawings made in 1738 already exist.

When the Loewenschede tower lost its protective function, it was built in apartments in the late 18th century. Therefore, the internal lining of the three lower floors was demolished. In 1842, the Tower lived on the current 2nd and 3rd floors of the fire brigade Barth. In 1870, the Tower Fire Master Wagner used the tower.

When the construction department of the Estonian Provincial Government asked the Tallinn Rae's opinion on the heritage value of the city insurance in 1870, the Raad replied: -/, but nothing else has a worthwhile appearance and hinders only traffic. The city does not have any interest/---/the sooner they are eliminated, the more beneficial it is for traffic. "

Whether or earlier, the interior of the tower was rebuilt with several partitions. Instead of shooting openings, the architecturally unsuitable square windows were formed.

Between 1969 and 1970, the restorers eliminated the danger of an emergency in the tower. The reinforced concrete frame with the supports and ceilings holding the top floors of the tower was established inside the tower, the original gauges and the shooting openings were restored. From 1983 to 1984, the tower was furnished for the exposition of the Estonian Museum of Architecture. The museum was located in the tower from 1991 to 1996. until. After moving out the Museum of Architecture, there were several tenants on the tower.

In 2009, NGO Asuurtorn, which unites ceramicists in the Loewenschede Tower, began operating in the Loewenschede Tower. During the adjustment of the ceramic center, the entrance was reopened by the towers and the spiral staircase was installed between the three lower floors.