Open dam gate

The name of the Dam Gate was derived from the flood protection dam that began in front of it. Presumably there had previously been a wooden gate at this point in the palisade belt, which formed the city's first defensive structure with moats and ramparts.

Like the Long Gate, the Dam Gate had a front gate in front of it, which was connected to the main gate by lateral walls. The moat ran around the entire city in front of the main gate, over which a drawbridge led to the rampart, behind which there was a second moat.

The passages through the front and main gates were secured by strong wooden plank gates, the remains of whose wrought-iron hinges can still be seen in the masonry of the causeway gate. These indicate a pair of inner and outer gate wings.

In 1564, the chronicle reports that the Dammtor was reinforced. The pillar on the north side was specifically mentioned. It is not known whether this was a new construction or just repair work after the fire disaster of 1505, in which large parts of the city between Dammtor and Badstüberstraße were burnt down. At Dammtor, a change in the joint pattern is visible at a height of around eight to nine meters at the entrance opening in the north wall.

Over time, the fortifications fell into disrepair. The walls between the Dammtor and its side gate are already missing in a city view by Theodor Meinhold from around 1700. In the 20.

In the 20th century, as had already happened with the other city gates in the 19th century, the Dammtor was also to be demolished. It had become an obstacle to the increasing volume of traffic. At the beginning and middle of the century, however, only the houses on both sides were demolished, which brought a certain amount of relief.