Martinsturm

The Martinsturm © Bregenz Tourismus & Stadtmarketing GmbH / Christiane Setz

Continuing our series on Wahrzeichen in Austria, we will move westwards this week, from Klagenfurt in Carinthia to Bregenz in Vorarlberg. Pictured is the Martinsturm, built first as a small tower in the 13th century during the construction of the city wall. Originally used as a fortified house for nobles, it was converted into a chapel in 1362 and renovated in 1601 in the baroque style by master builder Benedetto Prato, who gave the tower its characteristic onion-shaped dome. It was the first baroque building on the Bodensee lake and the largest onion dome tower at the time in all of Central Europe. Since 2015, the interior of the Martinsturm has served as a city museum, but has been a local Wahrzeichen since long before that.

A stamp design from 2015 © Austria Forum / Österreichische Post

In 1990, the Martinsturm was printed (literally) into Austrian cultural memory on the back of the 20 Shilling coin (Austria's currency until it was replaced with the Euro in 2002). See next the photos for stamps from 2013 and 2015 as well.

A stamp design from 2013 © Austria Forum / Österreichische Post