Status: 07/26/2023 11:48 a.m
From the Baltic Sea coast to Göttingen there are numerous Bismarck towers in the north. Many are popular excursion destinations because the historic towers offer wide views of the surrounding area.
There is one in Bad Schwartau, in Salzgitter, in the Harz mountains and in Göttingen: towers that were once built in honor of Otto von Bismarck. There are still ten Bismarck towers in Lower Saxony alone, and another six in Schleswig-Holstein. Nationwide there should be around 150. Many stand on high ground and are known and loved as lookout towers. Other similarities: they were built around the year 1900, they mostly have a square floor plan and were built from local stones.
The largest Bismarck monument is in Hamburg
The huge Hamburg monument is in the Old Elbpark, the Bismarck statue alone is 15 meters high (archive photo).
The world‘s largest monument is a 34-meter-high round granite building with a huge Bismarck statue in Hamburg’s Alter Elbpark. The controversial building in the St. Pauli district was built between 1901 and 1906 and has been extensively renovated for a long time due to problems with the statics. The work is to be completed this year, and a commented exhibition is to be created in the basement of the monument.
Towers in Schleswig-Holstein with a view of the sea and forest
The Bismarck Tower in Lütjenburg, Schleswig-Holstein, stands on the Vogelsberg.
In Schleswig-Holstein, the towers are mainly in the eastern part of the country between Hamburg and Holstein Switzerland. The northernmost tower belongs to the municipality of Quern, east of Flensburg. At 30 meters high, it is one of the tallest Bismarck towers in the north. Visitors can enjoy the view from two platforms. In Lütjenburg, the Bismarck Tower, which is almost 19 meters high, is the city’s landmark. It is a registered cultural monument and also has a viewing platform. Since the tower is on an elevation, the view extends far into the country and to the Baltic Sea. The decaying tower at the Vierer See near Plön is hidden in a forest area. In the Steinburg district there is another tower in the Itzehoe city forest, it has been renovated and is a listed building.
The column-like tower made of granite boulders near Bad Schwartau is almost 13 meters tall.
This also applies to the massive Bismarck Tower on the Priner Berg north of Bad Schwartau. A 38-step spiral staircase leads to the viewing platform, from which, in good weather, there is a beautiful view over Lübeck, the Bay of Lübeck and the hinterland. In Aumühle in the southeast of Hamburg there is another tower with a view – it extends far into the Sachsenwald. The tower is 27 meters high and is used, among other things, as an exhibition space and community library. On the other hand, the almost 20 meter high Bismarck column in Friedrichsruh in neighboring Reinbek is not accessible.
The tallest tower in Lower Saxony is in Göttingen
The 31 meter high Bismarck Tower near Göttingen was inaugurated in 1896.
In Lower Saxony, the towers are concentrated in the southern part of the state. The Bismarck Tower, the largest at 31 meters, is located on the eastern outskirts of Göttingen. The stately building consists of a hexagonal main tower and a so-called riser. From April to the end of October, the viewing platform on the climbing tower is open on weekends and public holidays. It offers a distant view that extends to the Brocken in the Harz mountains in the northeast and to the Weserbergland in the west.
There is another Bismarck tower in Göttingen, which was also erected in 1903 as a Bismarck fire column in the east of the city. The seven meter high fire viewing altar is freely accessible via several external stairs. Bad Lauterberg in the southern Harz has the highest tower in the north. It stands in the middle of the forest on the 535 meter high Kummelberg and offers a view of the Harz Mountains and the southern foothills from a viewing platform at a height of 15 meters. The tower can be visited daily during the opening hours of the forest restaurant.
Bismarck Tower Salzgitter: metal monument with cross of light
In Salzgitter there is a special Bismarck tower on the 272 meter high Hamberg. It is one of a total of three metal Bismarck towers, but has a stone base. When it is dark, a cross of light that can be seen from afar shines on the tower. It was erected in 1950 and was intended to symbolically point the way for those returning from captivity. The cross has been illuminated with LED technology since 2014. The tower has been closed since 2018.
Students gave the impetus for the construction of Bismarck towers
It is no coincidence that the Bismarck towers are similar in shape and material. The construction dates back to a movement that students started in 1898. They wanted as many towers as possible to be built in Germany that commemorated the former Chancellor Otto von Bismarck who had just died. Although the pioneer of the German Reich was quite controversial as a politician, he was popular with large parts of the population. There was and is a Bismarckstrasse in almost every larger town. Mostly wealthy citizens and local business people were involved in the construction of the individual Bismarck towers.
birthday fire
The students’ idea was to use the towers as pillars of fire. Every year on Bismarck’s birthday, fires should blaze across the country. Fire bowls stood on many Bismarck towers, but most of them no longer exist today. A map from the Federal Office for Cartography and a private website with lots of information provide an overview of all Bismarck towers in Germany. In addition, there are Bismarck columns or statues in some places.
Map: Bismarck towers in the north
Further information
Even during his lifetime, the Iron Chancellor became a legend, to whom monuments and even a herring were dedicated. How did that happen? more
The “Iron Chancellor” lived in the Sachsenwald until his death. A museum, an exhibition and a mausoleum commemorate him. more
As Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck suppressed political opponents, united the nation and created the most modern social laws. He died on July 30, 1898. more
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NDR Culture | 07/26/2023 | 4 p.m