The Clock Tower is located at Sélestat, in Bas-Rhin.
Also called "Tour Neuve" or "Tour des Chevaliers" (it is located rue des Chevaliers, south of the historic city center), it was one of the gates of the city ramparts. It was built around 1280, then belonging to the second enclosure.
The lower part of the Tower dates from this period.
Originally equipped with a drawbridge and gates connecting it to the parapet walk, its crenellated terrace included watchtowers at the corners.
The development of artillery led to modification of the upper part, with the construction in the 17th century on the terrace of a masonry body slightly set back but still equipped with watchtowers. The roof and lantern were restored after a fire in 1891.
Frescoes are visible on the exterior walls.
On the “south” facade, a representation of the Crucifixion was painted in the 15th century (the work has been restored several times). Below the fresco, three inscriptions in Latin refer to the modification work of the 17th century.
Passing under the tower, two frescoes face each other. One represents corporations from the Middle Ages, the other a hunting and grape harvest scene. Finally, on the vault are represented the lion of Sélestat and the Habsburg eagle.
This emblematic monument of the city, listed in the Inventory, can mark out a free or guided tour of the historic center of the locality.
Information on +33 3 88 58 87 20.
