Torre delle Dodici

The Tower of the Twelve, or Zwölferturm, rises above the historic gateway between Vipiteno's old and new town districts. Built in grey granite, the 46-metre tower is a civic landmark rooted in the town's late-medieval prosperity.

Why it matters

The tower combines the practical role of a city gate with an imposing public monument. Its popular name recalls the bell that summoned townspeople to their midday break, linking civic architecture with the rhythm of everyday life.

What to notice

The granite masonry rises above the street-level passage. Two marble slabs inserted in 1478 commemorate the beginning of preparatory work and the laying of the first stone by Duke Sigismund of Austria. The stepped gables at the top give the tower a silhouette distinct from its lost Gothic spire.

Context and history

Hans Feur of Vipiteno designed the tower, built between 1468 and 1472 over the city gate. He had also worked on the Gothic choir of the parish church. A nineteenth-century fire destroyed the earlier spire, and reconstruction produced the stepped-gable roof that defines its later appearance.