Roter Turm (The Red Tower) is, together with the four towers of the Marktkirche Unser Lieben Frauen (Market Church of Our Dear Lady), the landmark of Halle, a city located along the river Saale, at 35km of Leipzig. Moreover, Halle is also often referred to as Stadt der fünf Türme (The City of the Five Towers), because of the distinctive silhouette of both buildings. The tower burned on April 16, 1945, by shelling and lost its distinctive spire. Except for the Turmumbauung he was restored.
Originally built as campanile of the older St. Mary's Church between 1418 and 1503 in the late Gothic style, the tower has a rectangular base measuring approximately 10 by 15 meters, and a hight of 84m. The spire of the copper roof is decorated with a helmet with 246 spines, and in top was fitted a gilded ball knob of 3.60m in circumference. Since 1993 it has a carillon with 76 bells, the largest in Europe, and the third-largest in the world, exceeded only by a carillon in the US and in South Korea, both of which have only a bell more.
At the southeast corner of the tower is one of the attractions of the city, the statue of Roland which symbolizes freedom and independence of the medieval city. First, wooden Roland appeared here in the 13th century, but the current statue is a copy made of sandstone and several times changed the location.
About the stamps
The first stamp is part of the series Blumen, about which I wrote here. The second, depicting Ludwigslust Palace, is part of the series Burgen und Schlösser (Castles and Palaces), about which I wrote here.
References
Roter Turm (Halle) - Wikipedia
Sender: Karoline / Tiffi984 (postcrossing) DE-4899224
Sent from Halle (Saxony-Anhalt / Germany), on 15.01.2016
Photo: W. Dathe
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