The building, erected before 1728, was used as a gunpowder store in times of war. It was erected on the town side of the fortress to prevent it from being an easy target for attackers. In the middle of the 19th century, the building was divided into two storeys and a staircase was added. During the 1860s, the powder magazine was encased in vaulted cavities and covered with earth. This increased protection against bullets and at the same time weakened the effect of an explosion of the powder stores. Test explosions by the Ministry of State Security of the GDR almost completely destroyed the building in the 1980s.