Bismarck Tower (Bensheim)
The Bismarck Tower on the Hemsberg near Bensheim is a Bismarck monument . The tower is used as a lookout tower on Sundays and public holidays and as a hiker's home.
description
The round tower has a total height of 19 m. It is located on the summit of 262.2 m above sea level. NHN high Hemsberg in the southeast of Bensheim. The tower is made of granite and widens evenly over the top last three meters. It ends with a parapet, the upper edge of which is 16.1 m high. On the southeast side of the tower there is a bay window with a gable roof above the exit onto the platform , which towers over it by 4 m. In the lower area, the tower has a two-story extension with a hipped roof . In its original design, the extension on the upper floor was open and intended as a visitor terrace. In the 1950s, however, this area was walled up and provided with windows. Since then, the extension has served as a hiker's home.
Inside the tower there is a wooden spiral staircase that leads with 60 steps over several paragraphs to an intermediate level 11.6 m high, which allows a view of the surroundings through four windows. Another staircase with 16 wooden steps and a stone step leads inside the bay window through a metal door to the 15 m high viewing platform . There is also a bronze Bismarck medallion with the emblem of the Odenwald Club in the tower . The signature reads: "Odenwaldklub Section Bensheim 1901". Originally this medallion was above the entrance area of the tower. In its historical basic position with the bay window, the tower is reminiscent of a medieval control room or an urban fortification tower.
The Bismarck Tower is owned by the local Odenwald Club, which also provides entertainment and management. When the weather is nice, the tower is open on Sundays and public holidays. The local population usually refers to the Bismarck Tower as the Hemsberg Tower . From the platform you have a very good view of the Upper Rhine Plain , the Bergstrasse and the Odenwald . There is a species-rich nature reserve around the building.
As a cultural monument , the Bismarck Tower is a listed building .
Building history
On May 17, 1897, the post director a. D. Ernst Hallwachs (1828–1903) and the Bensheim entrepreneur, Kommerzienrat Wilhelm Euler (1847–1934), to build a Bismarck tower on the summit of the Hemsberg. The tower was built according to plans by Heinrich Metzendorf and completed on July 6, 1902. The construction costs for its construction amounted to 10,000 marks. From 2008, discussions were held about renovating the listed tower. The tower was renovated in 2010. The roof was sealed, windows and doors were painted.
References and comments
- ↑ a b c d e Heights according to measurements taken privately
- ↑ Note: A board attached to the side extension contains an incorrect information with a total height of 22 meters
- ↑ Map services of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation ( information )
- ↑ denkmalpflege-hessen.de, Bismarck Tower, Hemsbergturm , accessed on February 3, 2008
- ↑ The work of Wilhelm Euler ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Bergsträßer Anzeiger edition of April 14, 2007
- ↑ The Odenwald Club and the Towers ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Bergsträßer Anzeiger from March 17, 2007
- ↑ Tower needs to be refurbished ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , Bergsträßer Anzeiger from December 31, 2007
- ↑ http://www.bismarcktuerme.de/ebene4/hessen/bensheim.html
literature
- The Odenwald Club and the Towers , in 175 Years of BA , p. 30. (PDF file; 8.61 MB)
Web links
- State Office for Monument Preservation Hessen (Hrsg.): Bismarck Tower In: DenkXweb, online edition of cultural monuments in Hessen
- The Bismarck Tower on the Hemsberg at www.bismarcktuerme.de
Coordinates: 49 ° 40 ′ 8.3 " N , 8 ° 38 ′ 22.1" E