The Finstertor is the only preserved city gate of the originally densely populated Nikolaivorstadt.
It was possible to lower a portcullis between the passages. In 1455 the gate was already mentioned as "gate near the death guard". The neighbouring half-timbered house in Franconian style served as residence of the executioner since at least 1571. The executioner had to live out of town because of his dishonourable profession. The date 1666 and the inscription "L.S.B" refer to the Görlitz executioner Lorenz Straßburger. The ground floor was massively renovated.
Today it is the seat of the "Jugendbauhütte", an institution of "Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz" (German Foundation for Monument Protection), where young people can complete a voluntary year in preservation of historical monuments.
Wetter
