The "White Tower" (in German Weißer Turm ) is located in Brixen (; ; or ), a small town in South Tyrol, Italy. It dates back to the 15th century. The Gothic architecture tower stands 72m tall and the cathedral close to it is dedicated to Saint Michael. Along with the two towers of the Cathedral of Brixen, it is one of the emblems of the city's bishopric. It has about 200 stairs which lead to the complex carillon mechanism of 43 bells. After its restoration in 2006, the White Tower is used as a museum. The White Tower is a registered cultural heritage monument (number 14186) in South Tyrol.
History
The construction of the tower started in the 15th century. In 1444 the tower caught fire and in 1459 the theologian Nicholas of Cusa commissioned its reconstruction in a Gothic style. Because of the tower's new roof color, the local population named it "Black Tower". In 1591 an octagonal brick helmet was constructed, and the roof of the tower was painted white, so it was renamed the "White Tower". These rebuilding works increased the overall height of the Tower, making it the tallest building and the symbol of the city of Brixen. Because of its height and its dominant position over the historic centre of the city, the tower was used by a night watchman, who lived there and was able to get a complete overview of the surroundings. The Tower originally had a copper dome, the so-called "Black Dome". It was later removed and replaced with a white thin plate made by war debris in 1918. The Tower also had a double-sloped roof, which was used by firemen to detect potential fires. This type of roof was often copied in the area near the city of Brixen .
From "Black Tower" to "White Tower" The naming convention changed from "Black Tower" to "White Tower"; the height of the tower was also increased. It received a Gothic bell chamber and a pointed octagonal Gothic helmet, which was made of masonry in 1591 and dyed white.{ "type": "FeatureCollection", "features": [ { "type": "Feature", "properties": { }, "geometry": { "type": "Point", "coordinates": [ 11.657741367816927, 46.716446681684914 ] } } ] } The "White Tower" is one of the few architectural reminders of the late Gothic Style in South Tyrol. A large part of the ecclesiastical and secular building stock of the city of Brixen had been converted to Baroque style after 1600 or had undergone historical redesigns in the 19th century. In the history of houses in Brixen by Mader and Sparber, reference is made to a coloured pen drawing with coats of arms and sayings, which is exhibited in the Diocesan Museum showing multiple milestones about the history of the Tower.
Interior of the "White Tower" The tour of the "White Tower" begins from some outside stairs leading to the west side up to an entrance door with iron leads. The first inside staircase is bricked and leads from the center towards north on the first floor. Here, the counterweights of the old clock are located where initially there used to be the ropes used to ring the bells.
Connected through a mezzanine to the rise to the next flight of stairs, on the third floor there is a wooden scaffolding on which, in the past, ropes and counterweights were placed. This is also the place where the watchman controlled the city of Brixen. The mechanical clock is on the fourth floor, made by a wooden cabinet that is accessible through a short flight of stairs from the east. The rise goes up to five illuminated loopholes to the east, one above the other.
From here begins the climb to the fifth floor, where gears and regulators for the three clocks on the east are located . On the south side, at the height of the clocks double lancet window, a sundial is attached. The rise to the sixth floor opens towards the bell chair containing six bells. The room is divided into three by an entablature: west, center and east. In the center is located the great one, dedicated to Saint Michael Bell Jar.
The eastern sector contains three bells, the most important is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The western sector houses two bells: one of them is consecrated to Our Lady, the other serves as a death knell. The passage of time is displayed through two different ringing bells: one of the bells is dedicated to St. Michael, for which the hours struck and the sound of the quarter of an hour is dedicated to Our Lady. The seventh climb leads to the rooms where the tower guards dedicated to the fire watch used to be housed. South of this floor, sirens are visible that indicate the beginning of the holiday period. The Moon Clock is still working today.