Historical Prison Tower: Porte des Chevaliers

The Porte des Chevaliers is a historic monument located in Haguenau, Bas-Rhin department, France. Constructed around 1235 after the construction of the third enceinte, this tower originally served as a gunpowder storage. In 1763, it was converted into a prison, a role it continued to serve until the end of the First World War. The cells from the prison era are preserved on the upper floors. A house built adjacently in 1763 served as a prison as well until the end of the First World War.

Before 1920, the ground floor housed the guards' lodgings and a porch. Above the door to the market square is a niche that once held a painting. The tower is composed of a square plan in bricks with a transverse vaulted passage. During the prison era, cells were illuminated by narrow tall grilled windows. The cages from the prison era have small rectangular windows and arched openings. The Porte des Chevaliers was inscribed as a monument historique in 1930.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons