Spremberger Tower

Spremberger Tower (1875)

The Spremberger Tower is the landmark of the city of Cottbus . It is located in the old town of Cottbus on Spremberger Strasse , which the Cottbus locals simply call Sprem . The first system of the Spremberger Tower as the gate tower of the Spremberger Tor dates back to the 13th century. Since 2007, the tower can be climbed on many days of the year without prior notice. From the viewing platform at a height of 28 m you have a view of the city of Cottbus and the surrounding area.

history

The belfry

The city was first mentioned in a document in 1156 , at that time simple wooden palisades were still used for city fortifications. In the 13th or 14th century, the Spremberger Tower was built as the gate tower of the Spremberger Gate. After Cottbus withstood the Hussite storm in 1429 , the city fortifications were reinforced again as a result. Although it received a new dome, a clock and two bells from the Peitz Fortress in 1773/74 , most of the tower was demolished in 1810/11. In 1824/25 the rest of the tower was raised according to plans approved by Karl Friedrich Schinkel and provided with battlements . Stones from the Sandower Tor were used for this. In 1847 a passage for pedestrians was created in Spremberger Tor before it was demolished in 1875. After photographic documentation, the bastion at Spremberger Tor was also demolished in 1878/79. In 1890 a renovation was carried out by the Cottbus architect Ewald Schulz . The tram ran through Spremberger Strasse for the first time in 1903 and until 1974 . In 1904 the promenade ring around the old town of Cottbus was completed by the Beautification Association, around 1950 the Spremberger Wall was removed. Around 1970 a new tower clock with a quarter-hour and hour strike was installed; a general overhaul was necessary as early as 1985. In 1998 the Cottbuser Turmverein eV was founded. In 2000, the Spremberg Tower was renovated. The tower has been open to visitors again since May 2007. Funding from the EU and the state of Brandenburg ran out on February 28, 2014, so that from March 2014 the tower was only open for guided tours.

In March 2014, a citizens' initiative led by Gilbert Gulben and Benjamin Andriske came together to reopen the city's landmark to tourists on a club basis. Ascension Day 2014 the first special opening took place, at which 300 visitors climbed the tower. A second opening took place at Pentecost, at the same time a crowdfunding campaign for tower sponsorships.