Torre Bianca (Museum im Weißen Turm)

Bressanone's White Tower is the Gothic bell tower of the parish church of Saint Michael. Its slender, seventy-two-metre silhouette stands alongside the cathedral's twin towers among the landmarks of the old town.

Why it matters

The tower combines parish history with the memory of the town watch. Its upper rooms recall a practical civic function beyond the ringing of church bells.

What to notice

Four projecting oriel windows distinguish the tower shaft. Behind them lay the room used by the tower watch. The pale masonry roof gives the building its name.

Context and history

The tower acquired its present Gothic form in 1459. Watchmen continued to use its elevated quarters into the 1930s. Its later museum identity preserves an association between the building's architecture and its former working life.