Malchin’s Fangelturm is unlikely to become an attraction like the one in Pisa any time soon. And yet, there is now little doubt that the watchtower, which dates back to the 15th century, leans slightly towards the east.
Inclination visible to the naked eye
The local history society is particularly concerned. The chairman, Torsten Gertz, and his deputy, Hans Behn, have therefore brought a surveying office and the head of the Malchin building authority, Arno Harpeng, to the tower to find out more. The fact that the tower is leaning has not been an issue in the town hall so far, explained Harpeng. However, like the surveying expert, he then acknowledged that the tilt can be seen with the naked eye.
A look inside the tower, which is only rarely opened, should provide more clarity. What is hidden behind the old wooden door, from which the paint has long since peeled? The answer: lots of dust and cobwebs – and two small, dark prison cells, from which the Fangelturm owes its name.
Circus bears are said to have been locked up here when the troupe performed in the city many, many years ago. There is no evidence that people were locked up here. Ladders and a wooden staircase lead up to the roof of the tower – and they are in amazingly good condition.
This is what the inside of the Fangelturm looks like, which is only rarely opened. (Photo: Torsten Bengelsdorf)
But what interested the surveying experts, the head of the building authority and the local enthusiasts even more that day: there are two plaster marks on the inside wall of the tower. If the masonry were to move even the slightest, these marks would probably be the first to break. While the break mark in the middle of the tower is still intact, half of the plaster sign in the lower area is missing.
Extensions demolished in the 1960s
An alarm signal? Not necessarily, they say. “It looks more like someone hit something with a ladder,” said Torsten Gertz. There is no clear evidence that there is anything wrong with Malchin’s Fangelturm. No abnormalities were found during inspections of the structure before and after the recently completed civil engineering and road construction at the Fangelturm, reported Harpeng, head of the building authority.
The tower, however, had to endure a lot in earlier times. In the 1960s, the extensions that had supported the tower until then were demolished. “Since then, it has stood free,” reported Gertz. Old postcards also show that the tower was once surrounded by water and therefore probably stands on damp ground. The demolition of a block of flats right next to the tower in the 1990s or the new buildings around it could also have had an impact on the structure.
As soon as the leaves on the trees no longer obstruct the view of the tower, the inclination should be measured precisely, the group agreed after the inspection. This way, in a few years, after another measurement, it can be compared to see whether the inclination is increasing. One thing has already been achieved, said Torsten Gertz: “We have sensitized the city administration to keep the tower under observation.”
