The older of the two city gates is on the southwest side of the Old Town and has stood here in some form since 1202. The first record of the Martinstor is from 1238, but analysis of the timbers has shown they’re a little older.The gate was an anchor for the Medieval fortifications, but when the French military engineer Vauban redesigned the city’s ramparts in the 1600s it became obsolete.
The lower third of the gate’s tower is all original, while the upper floors date to the turn of the 20th century and were capped with a Late Gothic style roof.On the city side of the passageway there’s a grim reminder of justice in days gone by, as a plaque commemorates three women burned as witches in the city in 1599.