The Granusturm tower of Aachen city hall is one of the oldest building elements in the city.
The Granusturm, which is over 20m high, looks rather fearsome as it towers over today’s building complex that makes up Aachen city hall. It was built at the end of the 8th and the beginning of the 9th century, together with the King’s Hall of Charlemagne the Great. It was extended in the 14th and 20th centuries. What function did the building, which is no longer open to the public today, formerly have? There are various opinions about this. Originally, it is likely to have been an elaborate staircase, although is was also used as an abode for the tower watch and later even as an archive and a prison.