Powder tower

The powder tower in Meschede

A powder tower (German: Pulverturm), occasionally also powder house (Pulverhaus), was a building used by the military or by mining companies, frequently a tower, to store gunpowder or, later, explosives. They were common until the 20th century, but were increasingly succeeded by gunpowder magazines and ammunition depots. The explosion of a powder tower could be catastrophic as, for example, in the Delft Explosion of 1654.

Buildings formerly used as powder towers include the following:

• Langer Turm, Aachen
• Pulvertürmchen in Aachen
• Pulverturm, Andernach
• Pulverturm, Anklam
• Pulverturm, Bad Bentheim
• Pulverturm, Bad Reichenhall
• Bremer Pulvertürme
• Pulverturm, Burghausen
• Malteserturm in Chur
• Knochenturm in Einbeck
• Pulverturm, Greiz
• Färberturm, Gunzenhausen
• Pulverturm, Johanngeorgenstadt
• Pulverturm, Jena
• Pulverturm, Krems
• Pulverturm, Leutkirch im Allgäu
• Pulverturm, Lindau
• Pulverturm Lingen, Ems
• Pulverturm, Linz am Rhein
• Pulverturm, Mainz
• Pulverturm, Memmingen
• Pulverturm, Merano
• Pulverturm, Meschede
• Pulverturm, Munich
• Buddenturm in Münster
• Pulverturm, Ochsenfurt
• Pulverturm, Oldenburg
• Powder Tower, Otjimbingwe, Namibia
• Powder Tower, Prague (Prašná brána)
• Pulverturm, Quedlinburg
• Pulverturm, Rheinberg
• Powder Tower, Riga (Pulvertornis)
• Pulverturm, Schlanders
• Pulverturm, Straubing
• Pulverturm, Templin
• Pulverturm, Vellberg
• Pulverturm, Wiedenbrück
• Pulverturm, Zofingen
• Pulverturm in Zwickau

The Pulverturm, Demmin, bears the name, but was probably not used for this purpose.

Gallery

• 
  The Powder Tower in Prague
• 
  Pulverturm in Oldenburg with remains of the old town wall
• 
  Pulverturm Wiedenbrück, exterior view
• 
  Pulverturm in Landsberg am Lech
• 
  Pulverturm in Lindau
• 
  Pulverturm in Neumarkt in the Upper Palatinate
• 
  Pulverturm in Riga
• 
  Pulverturm in Memmingen
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  Langer Turm in Aachen
• 
  Pulverturm in Linz am Rhein
• 
  Pulverturm in Rottenburg/Neckar
• 
  Pulverturm in Johanngeorgenstadt
• 
  Pulverturm in Otjimbingwe, Namibia
• 
  Pulverturm in Zofingen
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  Pulverturm in Zwickau