Bismarck Tower (Hildesheim)
| Bismarck Tower | |
|---|---|
| Tower type: | Observation tower |
| State : | Germany |
| State : | Lower Saxony |
| Location : | Hildesheim |
| Location : | on the Galgenberg |
| Geo coordinates : | 52 ° 8 '38.2 " N , 9 ° 58' 22.3" E |
| Site altitude: | approx. 152.5 m above sea level NHN |
| Tower height: | 20 m |
| Viewing platform height: | approx. 171.5 m above sea level NHN |
| Construction time : | 1902-1903 |
The Bismarck Tower in Hildesheim is a 20 m high tower on the Galgenberg in Hildesheim, erected between 1902 and 1903 as a Bismarck monument , which today serves as a lookout tower .
description
The Bismarck Tower stands on the northwest flank of the Hildesheim Galgenberg ( 172.5 m above sea level ) at a height of about 152.5 m . It was made of limestone according to the Götterdämmerung design by the architect Wilhelm Kreis . An inscription above the entrance shows the date of inauguration. There is also a relief of the imperial eagle on the side of the column opposite the entrance .
A stone staircase consisting of 77 steps leads to the viewing platform of the 20 m high tower, which is followed by an iron spiral staircase comprising 20 steps . An ascent of the tower is possible on request.
Building history
The construction of the Bismarck Tower goes back to the suggestion of the editor-in-chief Herman Mayer, who was a board member of the Hildesheim local branch of the Pan-German Association . As a result, in May 1901 a "Committee for the erection of a Bismarckian column" was founded under the chairmanship of the Hildesheim Medical Council Dr. E. Muller. The location was selected after an expert opinion by the architect Wilhelm Kreis. The municipality of Hildesheim also approved the funds for the installation of a staircase, so that more than the originally planned pure fire column could be built.
On August 19, 1902, the Hildesheim master bricklayer and architect Karl Kattentidt, under the direction of the architect W. Braul, who also came from Hildesheim, began building the building; the foundation stone was not laid. The construction work ended on May 1, 1903. The construction costs amounted to 44,000 gold marks . The design of the square surrounding the column took place in 1904. The inauguration of the tower took place on April 1, 1905.
Originally, a fire bowl made of sheet iron was attached to the top of the tower, and a test firing took place on March 15, 1904. This was initially fired with gas, later because of the associated flying sparks , which endangered the trees in the area, using peat soaked with petroleum . It is not known since when this bowl was missing.
Another story
On the night of November 9th to 10th, 1938, a commemoration ceremony led by the leader of the Hildesheim SS storm, Emil Frels, took place at the Bismarck Tower to commemorate the Hitler putsch , during which he was informed that he was urgently calling the Hanover SS section should call. In the subsequent phone call, Frels received the order to destroy the synagogue on Lappenberg in Hildesheim.
Because of its ideal location for this purpose, the tower served as an anti-aircraft position during World War II .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Tower height according to the topographic map in the Geobasis.NI -Viewer of the State Office for Geoinformation and Land Surveying Lower Saxony (LGLN), accessed on May 5, 2020.
- ↑ a b c d e f Bismarck Tower Hildesheim on the information portal Bismarck Tower (with further literature).
- ↑ see city portrait: Marienburger Höhe / Galgenberg district on the city of Hildesheim's website, accessed on May 5, 2020.
- ↑ a b Bismarckian Column. Website Hildesheimer Geschichte (n), 815–1945.
Web links
- Bismarck Tower Hildesheim on the Bismarck Tower information portal .