Level tower Great Goitzschesee

Goitzschesee level tower in May 2012

The Goitzschesee level tower is an observation tower in the northern part of the Großer Goitzschesee near the town of Bitterfeld .

Its name is derived from the construction, which is unique in its kind: the entire visible tower floats on the surface of the water of the Great Goitzsche Lake and is guided inside by a support that is firmly anchored in a solid concrete foundation on the bottom of the lake. This means that the tower can move up and down on the inner support depending on the water level - similar to a float with a level indicator . In addition, the tower is secured against “ capsizing ”.

It offers an all-round view of the Großer Goitzschesee as well as the places Friedersdorf, Bitterfeld, Mühlbeck and Pouch, and with good visibility even as far as the Leipzig Völkerschlachtdenkmal .

To the building

Steel cable net

Level tower

The level tower was built from June 6, 1999 to June 9, 2000 from steel . The construction costs amounted to approx. 5.5 million DM. Its height is 26 meters. Access to the water level tower is provided by a double spiral staircase , the entrance of which is about 30 cm wider than the exit. This gives the tower the slightly curved appearance. A total of 144 steps lead up to the top platform. The stainless steel cable net called X-Tend , which wraps the tower like an oversized stocking, was designed by Officium Design Engineering in Stuttgart and manufactured by Carl Stahl in Süssen. The statics come from Bollinger & Grohmann from Frankfurt.

Old pier

destroyed pier after hurricane Kyrill 2007

The old pier was made of steel and wood. With 24 pontoons and 25 supports it reached a length of approx. 190 meters. The architect Wolfgang Christ from Weimar and the engineer Klaus Bollinger from Frankfurt took over the planning . It was destroyed in 2007 by Hurricane Kyrill .

New pier

In April 2009 work began on a new pier. Here, 18 piers were driven into the ground and the bridge itself was made from eleven bridge parts. These eleven pontoons are each 15 meters long and 4 meters wide. They each weigh 35 tons and consist of a styrofoam block encased in concrete and a metal railing. The construction costs amounted to approx. 580,000 euros. The pier has been open to visitors again since June 11, 2009.