The Grinder Tower (“Schleiferturm“) was built in 1467 using the remains of Louis the Wittelsbacher’s Castle. It used to play a crucial role in the defensive wall of the town. Where exactly the name originated from is unknown, but many believe that it could either be a reference to the nearby sharpener’s mill or to the residential area called Scissors-Grinder (“Scherenschleifer”). Another popular theory is that it got its name from the demolition of the old castle, since this process is often referred to as the “grinding” (“Schleifung”) of a building.
In 1931, the tower gained even more significance with the addition of an enclosed war memorial to honor the fallen soldiers of WW I by writing their names on the walls of the tower. This was done 12 years after the actual war, because there already was a memorial dedicated to WW I and most residents of Kelheim deemed a second one unnecessary. Even so the original memorial was deemed too segregated from the actual city, which legitimated the decision to build a new one. Afterwards the names of the soldiers who died during the second world war were also added to the list of names written on the interior walls.
