The Saale Gate (Saaltor)

One of the four remaining town gates in Saalfeld is the Saaltor. Immediately beyond it are the bridge and the main road out of the town.
As with the Upper Gate, this is where the trade route between Leipzig and Nuremberg crossed the town.

The Saaltor with its narrow pointed archway and stepped gable was built in the 15th Century. It was positioned at the lowest point of the walled town and served as protection for the crossing on the Saale. There was also a portcullis here. A relief at the head of the arch depicts St Michael as an angel figure. For this reason the gate tower is sometimes known as the “Angel’s Gate”.

To the right of the Saaltor there is a commemorative plaque in rememberance of the victims of the bombing raid on the town on 9th April 1945, which was an air attack by the American forces. 1300 bombs were dropped in 52 fly overs. The target was the railway station, a key transport intersection in the neighbourhood. 205 people died in the raid, 38 of them in a shelter next to the Saaltor.

Now make your way through the gate to the bridge over the Saale.