Bismarckturm Bad Lauterberg

The Bismarck Tower Bad Lauterberg was built in 1904 as a lookout tower and is one of a total of 184 Bismarck Towers in Germany, of which only 146 have been preserved. It is located on the border between the municipality-free area of Oberharz and the Lauterberg town area, more precisely on the eastern summit of the Kummelberg (535 metres above sea level) north of the town of Bad Lauterberg. The tower, erected in honour of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, exists in its special form as a Bismarck monument only 11 other times in Lower Saxony, 16 times in Saxony-Anhalt and 17 times in Thuringia and today belongs to the Bad Lauterberg branch of the Harzklub.

History and construction

The construction of the tower was initiated by the then medical councillor and chairman of the building committee August Tischmann, whereupon donations were finally collected in November 1902 and the construction work was quickly carried out by master bricklayer Walter Nagel. The building was erected on the basis of a square floor plan with an edge length of 6 metres using porphyry and bricks. The foundation stone was laid on 10 April 1904, on the occasion of which the 100th anniversary was celebrated on 17 July 2004. In addition to a fire bowl on the top, which was removed in 1987, the tower was fitted with a relief of Bismarck made in the Gladenbeck bronze foundry in Berlin-Friedrichshagen, which can still be seen above the entrance today.

View, hike and restaurant

With its high location and its own height of around 15 metres, it can be seen from afar and is always visited by holidaymakers and locals alike thanks to the unique view. The panoramic view that awaits visitors after climbing the 60 or so steps made of metal and stone ranges from Hanskühnenburg Castle to the nearby Großer Knollen to the Wurmberg or even the Brocken. You can also see the Oder dam and, of course, the town of Bad Lauterberg.

From the centre of Bad Lauterberg, the Bismarck Tower can be reached via the Lönsweg, past the Naturfreundehaus, over a distance of around 1.9 kilometres with a difference in altitude of around 250 metres. If you want to recharge your batteries after a strenuous hike, you can enjoy a wide selection of food and drink in the rustic forest restaurant at the foot of the tower. Of particular interest to hikers: stamp point number 115 of the Harz Hiking Needle is located directly at the Bismarck Tower forest restaurant.