Reichenturm

16th-century leaning tower at the east end of the old town, with a viewing platform

Address Reichenstraße, Bautzen

The Reichenturm is the tower most often used as the symbol of Bautzen — a 56-metre brick gateway tower at the east edge of the old town, originally built as part of the city wall in the 15th century and capped with a baroque cupola in 1718. It leans 1.44 metres from vertical, making it one of the most dramatically tilted towers north of the Alps.

Climbing the 130 wooden steps brings you out on an observation platform above the cupola, with the whole panorama of the old town spread out below — the cathedral, the Ortenburg, the towers along the river — and the Lusatian hills to the south. Open daily April through October.

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A story
The Reichenturm has been leaning since the 18th century — the foundations gave way around 1717 and by the 1840s the top was 1.2 metres out of plumb. Decades of stabilising work have stopped the lean from getting worse, but the tower still inclines visibly enough that visitors notice it on the climb up.