Town fortifications Gdańsk - Stockturm

The Stockturm (Polish: Wieża Więzienna = Prison Tower) was built at the beginning of the fourteenth century on the Kohlenmarkt as part of the fortifications of Gdańsk's Main City. With the Peinkammertor, it formed the defensive work of the Langgasse. The first extension was carried out by the city architect Heinrich Ungeradin. He erected a tower with a passage and a rectangular courtyard next to the Langgasser Tor. The tower was further extended in 1379–1382 and 1416–1418. In 1506–1509, Heinrich Hetzel built another floor with ogee arch arcades. Michael Enkinger crowned the Stockturm with a tent roof and slender corner turrets. The tent roof was burned during the siege of Gdańsk by the Polish King Stefan Báthory in 1577. The Stockturm was rebuilt around 1594 by Anton van Obberghen. When it lost its significance as part of Gdańsk's fortifications in 1604, it was converted into a prison. The building houses a branch of the Municipal Historical Museum of the City of Gdańsk.