Heidentürmchen at Speyer Cathedral

I think I was enjoying my time at Speyer Cathedral taking photos outside the cathedral. It was a beautiful but chilly day but it was still great lighting for taking photos. I have come to know that the cathedral wasn’t always so open like this. There used to be more buildings around the cathedral but are no longer here for various reasons. What is left right now is the cathedral in the middle of a large open space. There is still the center of the old cloister which is also long gone but at the same time it gives you an idea of just how large the cathedral complex was.

Moving on to the back to the cathedral, I noticed that there is some kind of structure here which resembles the walls of a castle. This is the Heidentürmchen or Heath Tower. Rather than the remains of a castle, it is actually the remains of the old city walls which used to be in an area which is called heath. The tower is actually more of a wall because it is so narrow. There is a set of steps that guards can potentially climb to reach the tower. The actual tower itself is flanked by two round towers with pointed roofs. It is a shame that the old city walls are no longer here but it is still good that there is still a bit left so that people can imagine how it was back then.

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