The Torre delle Polveri, the Powder Tower, or Torre Ortenstein, in Merano, is the keep of a medieval castle, that of Ortenstein, mentioned already in the first half of the fourteenth century. The historical accounts say that the castle was built in the thirteenth century by the counts of Tyrol and destroyed following various military campaigns: the tower is the only part of it that remains. In 1629 it was incorporated into the town walls, and in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it served as a powder store, the use from which today's name comes.
What to see
The entrance, made in recent times, is a round-arched door about four metres above the base. Inside you climb a metal staircase, along which the narrow loopholes can be seen; the upper part is decorated with broad, widely spaced battlements.
At the top of the stairs you reach about twelve metres above the ground, and from there you take in the view: the tower was a structure for watching and defence. Between the tower and the right bank of the Passirio stream a stretch of the original walls survives.
Visiting
The tower is reached from the Passeggiata Tappeiner, through viewpoints over the Adige and Passirio valleys and passing near the Roman bridge. Access to the internal staircase should be checked on the spot.
Our editors' tip
A short distance from the tower, on the promenade, is a natural monument: rocks polished by the action of the glaciers during the last ice age.
