Bismarck Tower (Scheersberg)

Bismarck tower from the west

Half-bust above the entrance portal: bronze relief by Otto von Bismarck

Steinmetz rosette with stylized coat of arms

The Scheersberg from the south

The tower on the Scheersberg in Schleswig-Holstein is a Bismarck tower that was built as a Bismarck monument and lookout tower . Scheersberg is part of the Steinbergkirche, which was reorganized in 2013 .

history

In 1899 the planning of a tower in neo-Gothic style in honor of the former Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who died the previous year, began on the Scheersberg. In 1900 the financing was secured through donations and the foundation stone was laid . When raising funds for the Bismarck Tower, the 373 name stones built into the whole tower were particularly effective. Stones of the grave chamber of a hill grave located at the point Räveshoi ( Raven Hill ) were used after removal of the grave in the foundation of the tower. The inauguration ceremony of the tower designed by the architect Alexander Wilhelm Prale finally took place on June 5, 1903.

Building

The structure of the Bismarck Tower is 32.3 meters high including the flagpole, the total height above sea level is given as 102 m. According to the brochure, the viewing platform is at a height of 18.30 meters. It is owned by the Schleswig-Flensburg district and is administered by an honorary tower committee.

architectural art

The entrance portal is designed as a stepped gable wall. Above this entrance portal is a marble plaque with an inscription and above it is an 85 cm high half-bust as a bronze relief by Bismarck with oak leaves and a bow, made by the metal goods manufacturer Schäffer & Walcker Aktiengesellschaft from Berlin.

In the rising tower masonry, an indicated archway was formed under which in the masonry there is a rosette with a stylized Prussian coat of arms (with serious weathering damage to the masonry rosette and unprofessional grooves (white) in the monument protection understanding).

Structural damage

Since October 2014 the tower has been closed due to structural defects, a. Corrosion damage to load-bearing components, closed to the public for safety reasons. The renovation should cost around 600,000 euros. The roof has now been temporarily sealed to prevent further damage. The renovation work started in summer 2017 and was completed in August 2018. The Bismarck Tower was reopened on September 21st. The extensive renovation work was supplemented by a new permanent exhibition in the tower, which was created under the direction of the historian Robert Bohn from the Institute for Schleswig-Holstein Contemporary and Regional History , European University Flensburg , and a view of Schleswig-Holstein history on four floors allowed since 1848. Thanks to the joint work of the communities around the Bismarck Tower, the Schleswig-Flensburg district , the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture and the IBJ Scheersberg , the tower was able to be reopened and a new chapter could be opened. The tower will be open from March 2019 and will be accessible until the autumn holidays.

Landmark status

In 1982 the tower became the central element of the von Quern coat of arms . The tower is a symbol of fishing .

Nearby Bismarck monuments

The Bismarck honor was not something completely new for the region either. On April 1, 1900, the year the foundation stone was laid for the Bismarck Tower, a Bismarck monument in the form of a memorial stone was inaugurated in nearby Husby . Even before the Bismarck Tower was inaugurated in June 1903, a Bismarck fountain was inaugurated on April 1, 1903 in not far away Flensburg on the Südermarkt , but it no longer exists today. The existing Bismarckstrasse in Flensburg only got its name in 1907.