Kaiser Wilhelm Tower (Bad Schmiedeberg)
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Kaiser Wilhelm Tower
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| Basic data | ||||
| Place: | Bad Schmiedeberg | |||
| Country: | Saxony-Anhalt | |||
| Country: | Germany | |||
| Altitude : | 182 m | |||
| Coordinates: 51 ° 40 ′ 10.8 " N , 12 ° 41 ′ 28.7" E | ||||
| Use: | Observation tower | |||
| Accessibility: | Observation tower open to the public | |||
| Tower data | ||||
| Construction time : | 1909-1910 | |||
| Building material : | stone | |||
| Total height : | 30 m | |||
| Viewing platform: | 19.5 m | |||
| Position map | ||||
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The Kaiser Wilhelm Tower is a 30 m high observation tower built in honor of the German Emperor Wilhelm I near Bad Schmiedeberg ( Saxony-Anhalt ) .
Location and description
The Kaiser Wilhelm Tower is located about 3.5 km southwest of the city of Bad Schmiedeberg on a wooded hill in the city forest belonging to the Dübener Heide . The hill is about 80 m higher than the city. The name Schöne Aussicht has become common for them. The tower can be reached from the L 128 state road via an approximately 350 m long cul-de-sac . A natural staircase leads to the tower from the north.
The Kaiser Wilhelm Tower is a stepped square brick building up to 19.5 m high with natural stone imitations on the ground floor, the first floor and on the edges as well as four suggested balconies. At the end of this building there is a viewing terrace with a circumferential overhanging parapet. The rest of the structure is octagonal, 7.6 m high and finished with a cornice. The last, two meter high part is initially the continuation of the octagonal shaft, crowned with a protruding dome. This entire upper part is covered with 18 m² of copper sheet. Together with the weather vane labeled 1910, the tower reaches a total height of around 30 m.
At the foot of the tower, partly surrounding it, partly also using it, there is a restaurant. It is adapted to the style of the tower on the ground floor, while it shows half-timbering on the upper floor.
history
On 10 June 1897 the was magistrate of the town of Bad Schmiedeberg submitted the application for the construction of Kaiser Wilhelm Tower. The application also included the construction of a restaurant. The location of the “bark house” on the then bare mountain top was intended as building land. This has previously served as a weather shelter for hikers.
The construction had to be postponed, however, as the city initially preferred infrastructure (water tower) and health resort (Kurhaus). After the completion of the Kurhaus in 1908, construction of the tower began. The building material was transported by donkey or horse cart. The water was brought to the tower by the same route for many years. The inauguration took place on February 5, 1910. The construction costs of almost 19,500 marks were largely raised through donations. As old postcards show, donkey rides and carriage rides to the tower were popular.
In the years of the GDR, the facility initially remained a popular excursion destination, until after it was taken over by the state trade organization (HO) it visibly lost its level and the building was no longer repaired. In the early 1980s the tower and restaurant were closed. The tower and restaurant were reconstructed and reopened in October 1985 as part of the “ More beautiful cities and communities ” initiative .
In the course of the 1990s, the building fell into disrepair again, until a reconstruction was carried out in 2006 with the help of funding for almost 100,000 euros. The spire was used to monitor forest fires until 2005. Another reconstruction was completed in 2019, in which, in addition to upgrading the fire protection, the roofing and drainage as well as electrical installations, sanitary objects and other things were renewed.
outlook
The viewing terrace offers a view of the Elbe Valley and the nearby spa town of Bad Schmiedeberg. With good visibility you can still see:
- In the north: The castle and town church of Lutherstadt Wittenberg as well as the Gallunberg in southern Fläming and the Jessener Himmelsberg.
- In the southeast: The Hartenfels Castle in Torgau
- In the southwest: The Monument to the Battle of the Nations and the City Tower in Leipzig .
- In the west: The Petersberg near Halle and the moated castle in the Bad Schmiedeberg district of Reinharz
Web links
- Archived website of the Kaiser Wilhelm Tower ( Memento from March 3, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- Kaiser Wilhelm Tower. Accessed May 31, 2020 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ In the Dübener Heide there is a beautiful view again. In: LVZ April 13, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2020 .