Today it is one of the best preserved. The towers on the banks of the Rhine are connected by a covered walkway, which used to provide a connecting route between the houses on the Rhine side during floods.
In 1344, construction of the city wall began, and was completed by 1400. The city was now surrounded by a semicircular defensive wall with 16 towers. Four of the towers were destroyed by the French in 1689. In the 19th century, under the influence of Napoleonic laws, the main road (today Oberstraße) was widened by setting the houses back, which meant that two more towers were demolished.
The gate towers (from north to south: Münztor, Markttor, Krahntor) were originally open on the inside, but were then converted into half-timbering and partly used as residential buildings.
In the south wall, which climbs the slope of the Kühlberg in a wide arc to Stahleck Castle, only the low Hutturm remains. In the north wall, which runs through the vineyards on the slope of the opposite Vogtberg, stands the sentry tower, which was restored in 1899 as a water tank. This function has since been abandoned and the tower on the city side has been reopened. Today it is one of the few towers that is open and can be visited. From here you can enjoy a view of the Rhine Valley that is worth seeing.
The wooden gate (Steegertor) at the western corner of the fortification has retained its original roof and the old half-timbered construction. To the south you can see the remains of the original wooden roof of the battlement. The Love Tower stands halfway up the slope between the wooden gate and Stahleck Castle.