Bierbaum's nail

Bierbaums Nagel near Borlinghausen in the East Westphalian district of Höxter is a 13.5 m high observation tower in the Egge Mountains, completed in 1849 .

It is the oldest observation tower in East Westphalia and is a listed building .

Geographical location

Bierbaums Nagel is located in the southern part of the Eggegebirge about 1.5 km west-northwest of Borlinghausen , a southern district of Willebadessen . It is located in the southern part of the Teutoburg Forest / Eggegebirge nature park and in the “Borlinghauser Holz” forest area on a small open space 431.4 m above sea level. NHN high mountain. A common section of the European long-distance hiking trail E1 and Eggeweg leads about 200 m west past the tower , from which a short branch path branches off to the tower.

History and description

After a very bad harvest in 1846, hardship set in in many homes. Therefore, farmers and day laborers from Borlinghausen asked the then landlord named Julius Bierbaum, son of the merchant Julius Georg Bierbaum (1761–1844) for help; the merchant was the owner of Borlinghausen Castle from 1839 to 1859 . Among other things, he promised to help them by assigning them a worthwhile job. He had them build the watch tower and lookout tower and thus gave them an opportunity to earn income. In doing so, he fulfilled the wish of his wife, who was born in Kassel and who is homesick , to be able to see the pyramid and statue of Hercules , the landmark of Kassel, in good visibility conditions . The ascent to the tower, which she often did, she rode on a donkey, which is why this path has since been called the "donkey path".

The tower was built from 1847 to 1849. It is 13.5 m high and 7.2 m in diameter. He got the part of his name nail because it looks like a huge nail sprouting out of the landscape .

Tower restorations took place in 1958 and 1990 - the latter with funds from the NRW Foundation . Its lower part was set up as a refuge . From August 2013 to 2014 the tower was renovated again to ensure its stability. It was found that the tower is double-walled, double-walled. Masonry anchors were set that connect the two walls. In addition, the floor of the viewing platform was re-sealed and masonry joints were re-mortared.

Opportunities for viewing

In good visibility conditions, the tower's observation platform offers a view of the Köterberg ( Weserbergland ), the Schwalenburg near Willingen (in the Upland ), the Desenberg in the Warburger Börde and the pyramid with the statue of Hercules (visible between the treetops) in northern Hesse Kassel situated High Habichtswald enough. The view is partially obscured by spruce trees .