Kanzlerbrunnen am Ostertor

The Kanzlerbrunnen fountain at the Ostertor was created in 1977 by the sculptor Bonifatius Stirnberg. The moving figures depict the so-called “Battle for the Barrel”—an event from Lemgo’s history dating back to around 1600.

The dispute centered on the city’s beer tax and a barrel of beer from Minden in Westphalia. The dispute between the city of Lemgo and the Lippe chancellor Balthasar Knaust illustrates the city’s self-assured stance toward the Lippe authorities.