Bürgergehorsam, Osnabrück

The Bürgergehorsam is a historic defense tower in Osnabrück.

The name of the tower, which belongs to the former fortifications of the city, comes from its temporary function as a civic obedience.

The tower was built between 1517 and 1519, making it the youngest of the great defense towers of Osnabrück. Initially, the tower received a slightly vaulted roof. During a renovation in 1542, the tower was raised by one meter. At the same time, it received a steep roof with a lead covering. The tower has been preserved in this form until today, the roof is now covered with tiles. The walls are up to 3.50 meters thick. The clearly larger embrasures and the powder discharge openings in relation to the earlier built defense towers are an indication of the use of cannons.

Originally, the tower was integrated into the city defense. A wall attachment still shows the connection of the no longer existing city wall. Even today, the interior of the tower can only be reached through a door on the second floor. Whereas in the past it was possible to get there via the other fortifications, today an iron spiral staircase built in 1977 leads to the door.

The tower with its rooms is often used for various art installations. For example, in 2010 the artist Elisabeth Lumme placed numerous pillows in the dungeon.

In 1954 the tower "Bürgergehorsam" with the lettering "Ewig deutscher Osten" was designed as a memorial to displaced persons. The lettering was dismantled in 1991.

From 1981 until the 1990s, the fortified tower housed the East German Educational Exhibition with "traditional costumes from Upper Silesia, lace from the Ore Mountains, amber from Gdansk, and other cultural artifacts." The whereabouts of the holdings are unclear.