Bismarck Tower (Bad Pyrmont)
The Bismarck Tower near Bad Pyrmont is a lookout tower built in memory of the first Chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898). It is listed as an architectural monument in the local register of monuments .
history
The construction of the tower goes back to five Bismarck admirers, the forester Dr. Hartwig and the newspaper publisher Gustav Bermann from Pyrmont, as well as the mayor Frese, the teacher Knüppel and a Mr. Naumbach from Oesdorf . The erection of the Bismarck tower was generally approved by the citizens, so that a committee for the erection of the tower was formed under the direction of Gustav Bermann. The task of the committee was to raise the necessary funds through fundraising.
The tower was initially to be built on the south side of the Königsberg on a building site made available by the Princely Domain Chamber of the Principality of Waldeck-Pyrmont . The design of the tower came from the builder Riemenschneider. After the foundation stone was laid in 1901, construction was delayed due to a lack of financial resources. In the summer of 1908, another attempt was made to raise funds for donations. A 1 meter high plaster model was made by the sculptor Oswald Rommel from Hanover and exhibited publicly after the approval of Prince Friedrich von Waldeck . In June 1912, for greater security, the foundation stone was moved 50 meters further north to the highest point of the Königsberg. The construction management was taken over by the builder Riemenschneider, who also created the design. The tower was built by Siebold & Co. from Holzminden . Construction work on the tower was completed at the end of 1912. The plateau on which the tower was located was redesigned and a driveway to the tower was created. The inauguration was originally supposed to take place in May 1913, but since the sculpting work took longer, the inauguration did not take place until August 24, 1913. The total cost of building the tower was around 30,000 marks in the end . In the first few years, the fire bowl was lit for Bismarck's birthday, April 1st. After the Spar- und Leihkasse had issued guarantees to the citizens of Pyrmont, which were taken out for the construction, it became the owner of the tower in 1917. In 1922, the town, renamed Bad Pyrmont since 1914, became the owner of the savings bank and thus also of the tower. In 1970 the central fire bowl was removed and later a fire bowl was placed in each corner of the tower. There has been no catering in the tower since 2009 due to moisture damage. Renovation work on the tower was planned in 2012 and carried out from July 2013 to October 2013. After the renovation, the hospitality was resumed and continued to this day (as of 2017) after a change of tenant.
description
When Bismarck Tower is a 31 meter high observation tower made of dolomite with a square floor plan. The approx. 5 meter high square base housed a room that was used as a dining room with a bar and seating for visitors. The entrance portal is on the west side. Above the entrance portal is a 5 meter high Bismarck statue made of limestone , which shows Bismarck in armor and propped up on a sword, which is very similar to the Roland . The statue was made by the sculptor Fritz Volcke from Waldeck and Laun from Holzhausen . The tower shaft tapers slightly towards the top until it ends in the viewing platform. In the stairwell, after 24 steps, a mezzanine floor was set up on which a wooden honor board was attached for the initiators. The viewing platform protrudes over the tower shaft on all sides. The viewing platform is divided into two parts, a covered floor and a further uncovered floor accessible via a spiral staircase. On the upper floor there was a centrally mounted fire bowl , now replaced by four fire bowls in the corners. Under the dining room there is a basement room in which the dining room kitchen was located. There are a total of 139 steps from the ground to the top floor.
Roll of honor
The inscription on the plaque reads:
"Honor table for
the supporters of the tower building:
Prince Waldeck. Domain Chamber.
Savings and Loan Association Pyrmont.
Society" Spelunke "Pyrmont.
Karl Riemenschneider, Prince Construction Commissioner,
builder of the tower in
1913"
literature
- Soul, Sieglinde: Lexicon of Bismarck Monuments, Imhof-Verlag Petersberg, 2005, pp. 181–182
- Seele, Sieglinde, Mannheim (archive Seele): BISMARCK-TURM von BAD PYRMONT (Lower Saxony)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Bismarck Tower Bad Pyrmont. bismarcktuerme.de, accessed on November 22, 2019 .
Coordinates: 51 ° 59 ′ 20 " N , 9 ° 16 ′ 39.7" E