Bismarck Tower (Wuppertal)

Bismarck Tower

The Bismarck Tower in Wuppertal is on the site of the Hardtanlage , a park-like ridge in the center of Wuppertal on the border between the districts of Elberfeld and Barmen .

The tower, built in 1907, serves primarily as a memorial to the first Reich Chancellor Otto von Bismarck , who played a key role in the founding of the German Empire in 1871 and was revered by large parts of society for this. At the same time, the Bismarck Tower was also intended as a lookout tower . It can be climbed on Sundays during the summer months when the weather is nice, and the viewing platform offers a good overview of large parts of Wuppertal.

history

The tower, which is around 22 meters high, was built mainly from donations. It is one of 47 Bismarck towers that were built after the “Götterdämmerung” sample design by the architect Wilhelm Kreis, which was awarded a prize in a German student union competition in 1899 .

The construction management took over the Elberfeld city building Lothar Schoenfelder. Only shortly after the foundation stone was laid on April 1, 1907, thieves broke the foundation stone and stole the time capsule it contained with documents and coins worth 18 marks . The tower opened on October 19, 1907.

It was listed as a historical monument in 1991 and extensively renovated in 1999-2005 .