Woman Lives Rent Free at 196 feet in an 800-Year-Old Tower—Here’s How She Does It

How a Woman Lives for Free in an 800-Year-Old Tower at 196 Feet

August 3, 2024 TruthUSA

Living in an 800-year-old tower for the past 28 years, Blanca Knodel has had the most interesting view of the imperial town of Bad Wimpfen in southern Germany.

Though the duties of the tower keeper have changed drastically since medieval times, Ms. Knodel, who’s in her 70s, has kept plenty busy as she lives out her dream in the Blue Tower, or “Blauer Turm,” that watches over her native town and the river Neckar.

So, how did she get this unique job and a home 196 feet above her beloved town?

The Blue Tower of Bad Wimpfen was built between 1160 and 1170. (Courtesy of Eigentum der Kultur- und Tourist-Information Bad Wimpfen)

“I belong to one of the oldest families in Baden-Württemberg (Bad Wimpfen),” Ms. Knodel said, in an interview with Ann Marie Ackermann, an American who lives in Germany.

“My grandmother’s sister even used to live here in the tower keeper’s apartment. When my predecessor became ill, I covered for him. Eventually, I took over with my three children.”

In exchange for the work she does as a tower keeper, the city allows her to live there rent-free.

The town actually has two landmark towers, both named for the color of their roofs. The second tower, which is within walking distance from the Blue Tower, is called the Red Tower, or “Roter Turm.”

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