Porte des Chevaliers: A 13th-century monument in Haguenau

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-gate originally served as a powder magazine. In 1763, it was converted into a prison, a role it continued to serve until the early 20th century. The dungeons of the era are preserved on the upper floors.

A house built adjacently in 1763 also served as a prison and provided access to the dungeons of the tower. Before 1920, the date of its transformation into housing, the ground floor of the tower featured the guards' lodgings and a porch. Above the door leading toward the market square, there is a niche that likely once held a painting.

The tower is composed of a square plan in bricks with a transverse vaulted passage. The upper floor was occupied by cells illuminated by narrow small barred windows, which were set high up. The dungeons of the era are pierced with arrow slits, narrow rectangular windows, and pointed arch openings. The Porte des Chevaliers was inscribed as a historical monument in 1930.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons