Old City Gate, Bregenz, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Old City Gate in Bregenz, Austria, is the entrance from the steep Stadtsteig path into the Oberstadt, the old town above Lake Constance. Passing through it, you leave the modern town behind and arrive beside the Martinsturm, the tower that has watched over Bregenz for centuries.

The story behind it

The Stadtsteig climbs to the gate, the Unteres Tor, and on to the Oberstadt. Once through, the modern streets feel far away. Coats of arms recall the town's past, and a sundial on the inside of the gatehouse carries a short verse in the Bregenz dialect. Its message is to use your time, avoid quarrels and not tolerate deceit. The same words are said to be carved in stone in the archway.

Beside the gate rises the Martinsturm. A granary with a pyramid roof stood on the spot in the Middle Ages, and in 1362 a chapel to St. Martin was donated on the upper floor. It later received fresco decoration. Between 1599 and 1601 the town had the building raised with extra storeys, an arcade level and an onion-shaped roof, and the granary became a tower. From then on it served as the high watch of Bregenz, and a guard was posted there for centuries to warn the town of fire. Since 2015 it has housed a permanent exhibition on the history of the city.

What to look for

• Look at the coats of arms around the gateway, which are reminders of the town's long history.
• Find the sundial on the inside of the gatehouse and read the dialect verse above it.
• Check the archway itself, where the same message is said to be carved in stone.
• Step back and study the Martinsturm and its large onion-shaped roof, added around 1600.

Tips for your visit

• The gate is part of the street, so walking through it costs nothing. Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the gate and the tower exterior, longer if you visit the exhibition.
• The path up is steep, so wear comfortable shoes.
• The tower houses a history exhibition, so check current opening hours before you plan to go inside.
• Soft morning or late afternoon light suits the old town streets, and the Oberstadt is pleasant to wander after the gate.

See it on a quest

You can reach the gate on foot as one stop of The Symphony’s Secret: A Bregenz Mystery, a self-guided route through the town. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in what is in front of you, so you look closely at the gate instead of just walking through. It is free to play and you can start whenever you like.