Bismarck Tower

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Note: Unfortunately, the tower is currently not open to the public. 

Beautiful area here. In the middle of the city forest. You wouldn't necessarily expect a tower like this. And yet it is there. For more than a hundred years. It was inaugurated in September 1915 in honor of Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck towers were fashionable at the time: Bismarck towers were built in many cities. Often also with devices for lighting fires. The idea behind it: To bring people throughout Germany together in memory of Bismarck. A group experience was to be created by experiencing oneself as part of a national community - a community that everywhere commemorated the statesman Otto von Bismarck and erected towers dedicated to him. And with a bit of luck, it was also possible to see the firelight of the nearest tower in the area when all the fires on the towers shone brightly at the same time during a ceremony.

Bismarck Towers in other cities:

(1) Augsburg

(2) Berg-Assenhausen

(3) Göttingen

(4) Herford

(5) Glauchau

 

The Altenburg tower was built in 1914/15. Among other things, it was built thanks to the donation of the Altenburg cigar manufacturer Eduard Schmidt. He donated the sum of 20,000 Reichsmark, which was large for that time, for the construction. In the end, the total costs amounted to 40,000 marks.

The 33 meter high tower resembles in its construction the observation towers of the Altenburg town fortifications. Therefore, there was never a fire bowl on its top. The tower was built of concrete. Alfred Wanckel was largely responsible for the construction plans. At the bottom it is surrounded by a portico. Above the entrance, there used to be a portrait of Bismarck made by Otto Pech and a quote from Bismarck that read: "We Germans fear God, nothing else in the world!" Both were removed after the Second World War.

(1) A plaque in the tower, which refers to the building council Alfred Wanckel

(2) The plans for the construction of the tower

(3) View of the portico

 

Under the high tiled roof is a viewing platform, which in itself provides a magnificent view of the city and the surrounding, slightly undulating landscape. Since the tower rises to a height of 266 meters above sea level, the view used to reach as far as the Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig, the Pleisse Valley and the peaks of the Ore Mountains on a clear day. Today, large trees surround the tower, severely limiting the view.

After the Second World War, the tower was renamed "Tower of Youth". The GDR youth organization Freie Deutsche Jugend (Free German Youth) administered it until 1989. The area around the tower was used as a vacation camp or for other leisure activities during GDR times and also after 1990. In the 1960s, an open-air stage was also built at the tower. The tower has been closed since 2009.

In 2012, a support association was formed, which again organized sports and recreational activities at the tower and made enormous efforts to restore it to its current condition.

In the following interview, Sven Eckelt, Chairman of the Bismarck Tower Association, talks about his work and what appeals to him about the tower and its surroundings.

Opening hours Unfortunately, the tower is currently not open to the public.    Adresse and contact: c/o Alexander Vogel Niemöllerstraße 3 04600 Altenburg E-Mail: info@bismarckturm-altenburg.de