In Eibelstadt, the city administration is looking for someone who wants to use a tower of the city wall again. Up to 80 square meters of living space could be used.
Photo: Antje Roscoe
An exposé describes the Kees tower in the northeastern city wall as “old building, in need of renovation, free”. The city of Eibelstadt is looking for a new tenant for a “fairytale city tower of the 16th century”. The setting in the old town ensemble is indeed fairytale, especially since the small Gothic gate right next to the tower and a small wall garden with 130 square meters are part of it.
The loophole in the city wall that had been built since 1435 was used by the hackers and the Lindelbach churchgoers until they received a church themselves in 1471, because there was only a gate to Würzburg, Ochsenfurt and the Main, not to the vineyards. The defense tower at the end of Kirchgasse was built in 1572 and bears the name of an Eibelstadt man named Kees. According to city archivist Franz Schickelberger, the only thing known about him is that he lived somewhere next door and that the location of the defensive tower was precisely identified in this way.
No stairs, no water, no electricity
The condition of the Kees tower is likely to be between the “old building in need of renovation” and the ruin. There is no roof, no ceilings, no stairs, neither water nor electricity. But cantilevers for the Rapunzel balcony. “It’s like a shell,” explains Christiane Brock, who manages the properties for the city. According to the exposé, 80 square meters of living space could be built in the former defense tower made of shell limestone over three floors. The round tower is currently 14 meters high and 15 to 17 square meters in diameter. The Keesturm monument is part of the city fortification ensemble. City walls and towers are part of the urban development program and are located in the urban redevelopment area.
Photo: Antje Roscoe
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The lover is looking for a lover on the monument exchange of the Bavarian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments, who will take over the tower in long-term lease and repair it according to the heritage. There is “historical charm and a unique living atmosphere”. To date, Christiane Brock has received documents from four serious interested parties and is still inquiries by telephone. “They are interesting candidates,” said Mayor Markus Schenk. It is intended to be used as living space or for rental to guests. The last tenant had already attempted something similar, but ultimately had not achieved it.
The first plans are to be made in the summer
The tower has been owned by the city again since the end of last year. Complex inheritance matters that had spanned several years had previously been resolved. Even the state of North Rhine-Westphalia was involved, said Schenk. In the meantime, the city, as the owner, had security work carried out. Schenk wants to present the state of affairs to the main committee next week and discuss the procedure for selecting applicants there so that the first plans can be coordinated with the authorities in the summer.
The Kees tower is one of a total of eleven round towers and three shell towers that are still preserved. The city fortifications have been preserved almost completely, although the Kessturm is not the only one under construction, see Zieglersturm at Ochsenfurter Tor. Others have been leased for decades and are inhabited by the same family. The Seelhaus with the Seelhaus tower represents a recent successful renovation with use as a holiday home.
Photo: Antje Roscoe
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Eibelstadt
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Antje Roscoe
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Architectural monuments
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Mayor and Mayor
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Historic preservation
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Local governments
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Markus Schenk
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ruins
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Refurbishment and renovation
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City fortifications
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Cities
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Towers
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Living areas
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