Paulinenturm
The Paulinenturm is a lookout tower in the city of Bad Berka . It is located on the 416 meter high Adelsberg on the eastern edge of the city, about 150 meters above the valley floor of the Ilm .
history
The Paulinenturm was built in 1884 on behalf of the local health resort and beautification association. A lottery was set up and donations were collected to finance this . A local construction company was entrusted with the construction work, which built the tower from Berka limestone based on a medieval watch tower . In order to save construction costs, the required staircase was mainly made of wood. With a keen eye for detail, several key notches and a coat of arms stone were inserted into the masonry as light slits and decoration . The Hereditary Grand Duchess Pauline of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach was chosen as the namesake because it was hoped for some discounts from the Weimar court.
At the request of Hermann Siewert , a gardener from Berka, a refuge was built next to the tower after 1900, and the Siewert family took over the management. A raised tower flag indicated that the tower and the excursion restaurant were open. This much-visited inn fell victim to a fire in 1931 and was immediately replaced by a new building, which was inaugurated on August 3, 1932 as the Hermann-Siewert-Hütte . On May 26, 1935, a more spacious forest chalet was opened in the immediate vicinity, which was managed by the spa and beautification association. During the war years, the tower was confiscated by the Wehrmacht and used as an aerial observation point.
At the end of 1944, Bad Berka was hit by air raids, an aerial mine detonated barely 150 meters from the tower , it destroyed the forest hut and severely damaged the tower; this could only be repaired poorly by 1950. In the GDR , the tower was called the Peace Tower from 1950 , and it was not renamed Paulinenturm until after the political change in 1990.
After 1960, a citizens' initiative was formed from the Berka population, which tackled the reconstruction of the building; it was reopened on August 1, 1964. In 1982 the tower was again closed by the building authorities due to its progressive deterioration, but the city recognized the value of this sight and made a thorough reconstruction possible. The measure was led by the city archivist Ludwig Häfner and actively supported by student mountaineers from the Weimar University Sports Association. Masonry and joints were repaired, the tower was renovated inside. Another improvement was the laying of the urgently needed water pipeline to the shack, with Soviet soldiers also helping out.
After the fall of the Wall, the Bad Berka Tourist and Tourist Association, founded in 1992, took over the tower and the hut.
view
After mastering the ascent to the Adelsberg and the 143 steps spiral staircase , the viewing platform offers a great view over the town of Bad Berka and large parts of the landscape protection area Mittleres Ilmtal in suitable weather conditions . When visibility is good, the Inselsberg can be seen to the west and the Brocken to the north when visibility is very good .
Technical specifications
The tower has a total height of 26 meters. The outer diameter is only seven meters - measured on the ground, the tower therefore appears filigree and slim. Inside, a wooden spiral staircase with 143 steps leads to the viewing platform . The top floor is provided with windows and an iron flap as weather protection. Since 2009 the tower has also had electric outside lighting, which allows the building to be illuminated at night in changing colors. This was put into operation on 23 August 2009 with a forest festival on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the Paulinenturm .
The Paulinenturm is connected to two neighboring observation towers - the Carolinenturm (near Kiliansroda) and the Hainturm (near Ehringsdorf) - via the 19-kilometer three- tower hiking trail .
literature
- Hartmut Stabe: Towers in the Grand Duchy of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach - Discover - Visit - Hike . Weimar 2005. ISBN 3-930687-46-1 . About the Paulinenturm: pp. 81–105
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Thuringian Open Air Museum Hohenfelden (ed.): On the way in the Ilm valley. Interesting facts and information for tourists and locals . MFB-Verlagsgesellschaft, Eisenach 1998, ISBN 3-931431-10-X , From the history of the Paulinenturm, p. 57-58 .
- ↑ a b Web page of the city of Bad Berka, Paulinenturm
Coordinates: 50 ° 54 ′ 8 ″ N , 11 ° 18 ′ 0 ″ E