Today's Fangel Tower was built in the 16th century as a round brick tower. It has a height of 12 meters, a diameter of 7.5 meters and a wall thickness of about 2-2.3 meters. It is possible that in the area of today's Fangelturm there was already a predecessor building of the city fortifications erected between 1325 and 1400, which is indicated by the name "nova turris", the "new tower", for today's building.
Today's Fangel Tower was built in the 16th century as a round brick tower. It has a height of 12 meters, a diameter of 7.5 meters and a wall thickness of about 2-2.3 meters. Possibly there was already a predecessor building of the city fortifications erected between 1325 and 1400 in the area of today's Fangelturm, which is indicated by the name "nova turris", the "new tower", for today's building.
For use as an observation and defense facility, the tower was originally unroofed and crowned by battlements and had several embrasures, some of which are bricked up today. This is how it appears on the "Stralsund illuminated manuscript" created in 1611/1615. In the 19th century the tower was provided with a flat roof.
The side, ground-level entrance led to a narrow, steep stone staircase to the first and second floors, each of which opens to a round room. The last part of the staircase today leads to the roof platform.
The name Fangelturm could be interpreted linguistically both as a "tower in the enclosure", i.e. the city wall, but also as a "prison tower". In fact, from the room on the first floor a narrow, round floor opening without stairs leads into the more than 5 m deep dungeon, which served in connection with the neighboring "Frohnerei" in Turmstraße, the not preserved executioner's house (today place of the evang. elementary school, Turmstr. 1) as a municipal prison. It is documented from court records that the tower and the Frohnerei were the place of interrogations with torture also in connection with witch trials in Barth.
The dungeon was walled up in the 18th century and two prison cells were built in its place, which can still be recognized by the strongly secured doors.
In November 1965, the Barth School Observatory was built on the roof of the Fangel Tower.
The tower was restored in 1996/98 and 2007, when the dungeon was also opened. It has a small exhibition on the lower floors and can be climbed on special occasions. From its observation deck it offers a wide view over the city and over the country.
