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Tower on the tower

Saint Barbara cradles a tower in her arm in the sandstone relief on the Big Tower. Her martyrdom began when her own father locked her up in a tower to prevent her from converting to Christianity after Barbara had refused to marry a non-Christian man. As a saint she is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers; she helps against the dangers of lightning and fire and is the patron saint of miners, of the Silesians, of prisoners, architects and of the volunteers in the “Technisches Hilfswerk” THW (Agency for Technical Relief).