Georgstor

The Georgstor stands in Blankenheim, a town in the Euskirchen district of North Rhine-Westphalia. It forms part of the 17th-century town fortifications that once enclosed the valley settlement. The gate is also known as St Georgs Porte, Obertor or the outer gate, marking the western limit of the old defences.

Graf Salentin Ernst von Manderscheid–Blankenheim ordered the expansion in 1672 to protect the expanded valley area. Original plans from 1670 show a grand pilaster design that was never built. Instead a simple round arch supports a half-timbered upper storey reached by a steep staircase. Four round windows on the field side once lit the gatekeeper’s room and now frame a niche with a wooden statue of St George in knightly costume.

Since 1986 the gate has housed the Blankenheimer Karnevalsmuseum. Exhibits spanning several centuries include documents, prints, posters and costumes that illustrate local carnival customs, notably the Geisterzug. Visitors can view the displays by arrangement with the local carnival club.