The Breite Tor was Goslar's most important city gate in the late Middle Ages. It was built in 1443 and subsequently expanded into a bulwark, which overshadowed many a common castle complex.
The wide gate was designed as a double gate - in front of the inner gate that still exists today, there was an outer gate, which in turn was flanked by two large towers. Between these two gates was the barracks for the gatekeepers, a structure which is known in our time under the name "Werderhof".
One reason for the massive expansion of the Breite Tor was the fact that the road leading to the city gate came from the direction in which the territory of the Duke of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel was. The city of Goslar was at a dispute with this at the time. Furthermore, a city gate was generally a weak point in the defense system of a medieval city, and Goslar's prosperity naturally also attracted many unpopular contemporaries.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the city wall and its gates had completely lost their defensive function and were partially torn down. The outer Breite Tor and one of the mighty towers also fell victim to this demolition. Today only the inner gate, the former barracks (the Werderhof) and the northern tower of the outer gate, called Rieslingsturm, are left of the huge complex.
A public road now leads through the Breite Tor. The interior of the building can also be viewed as part of a city tour.