The gate (also known as the Lüdinghauser Gate or Ludinchuser Porten) was probably built in the 14th century as a wooden gate as part of the city fortifications. The stone towers were erected at the end of the 15th century, with a wooden battlement serving as a connection. Cannons were mounted on the gates and walls, two of which stood at the Lüdinghauser Gate from 1584 onwards. The battlements, as well as the gatehouse built in the meantime, disappeared over time. The gatehouse was demolished in 1836 when the collection of tolls was prohibited. Until 1906, one of the towers also served as the city prison.
As early as the mid-19th century, the towers of the Lüdinghauser Gate were considered a traffic obstruction, but the government prohibited their demolition. As part of the ban, a pedestrian passage was created, first in the western tower and later in the eastern tower. In 1908, in preparation for the city's 600th anniversary in 1911, the two towers were re-roofed, and the stone connecting structure was also built as a characteristic central structure.
The Lüdinghausen Gate was used by the Nazis as the city's coat of arms from 1938 to 1945 (replacing the trefoil cross). With its reconstruction after its destruction in World War II, the gate acquired its current special status – and remains a traffic obstruction. (Wikipedia)