The Bismarck Tower in
Zielona Góra,
Poland (until 1945 ''Grünberg in Schlesien'',
Lower Silesia,
Germany) is one of the best-preserved
Bismarck tower
A Bismarck tower (german: Bismarckturm) is a specific type of monument built according to a more or less standard model across Germany to honour its first chancellor, Otto von Bismarck (d. 1898). A total of 234 of these towers were inventoried b ...
s outside of present-day Germany. It is also called the Wilkanowska Tower, after the hill on which it stands.
Despite its name, the tower is actually located in the village of
Wilkanowo, Lubusz Voivodeship
Wilkanowo is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Świdnica, within Zielona Góra County, Lubusz Voivodeship, in western Poland. It lies approximately north-east of Świdnica and south-west of Zielona Góra
Zielona Góra is th ...
(''Wittgenau'' in German), 6 km southwest of Zielona Góra. It is still in use as an observation tower and radio mast.
History
The tower was proposed by architect Albert Severin, with the support of the Grünberg Commercial and Horticultural Association. The club purchased a plot of land on the Meiseberg, outside the village of Wittgenau, for construction of the tower. The foundation stone was laid on 1 April 1902 (Bismarck's birthday); construction was carried out by local master mason Carl Mühle.
The tower was completed in just four months at a cost of 6,000 marks; it was inaugurated on 23 August 1902. Above the entrance was a
relief of
Otto von Bismarck
Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...
, and the inscription "ERECTED IN 1902/COMMERCIAL AND HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATION OF GRÜNBERG".
Description
The tower is 20 m high and stands atop Wilkanowska Hill (formerly ''Meiseberg''), 221 m above sea level. It is built entirely from bricks, with crenellations at the top.
Contemporary situation
After Germany's defeat in
World War II, Grünberg was transferred to Poland and renamed Zielona Góra. There was little fighting in the town during the war, and so the tower emerged unscathed.
As of April 1992, all references to Bismarck were removed; however there is currently a sign above the entrance in place of the old German inscription. In
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
, it reads "BISMARCK TOWER - AUTHORITIES OF ZIELONA GÓRA - AD 1902". The elevation of the tower is also mentioned.
Unlike other crumbling Bismarck towers beyond the present-day German borders, the Zielona Góra Tower is in excellent condition, having been restored in 2003, and is still used for multiple purposes: a
fire lookout tower
A fire lookout tower, fire tower or lookout tower, provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout" whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness. It is a small building, usually on the summit of a mountain or ...
,
weather vane,
observation tower, and
communications mast. In good weather, it is open to the public for a small fee.
External links
Bismarck tower in Grünberg (Zielona Góra) (in German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bismarck Tower, Zielona Gora
Prussian cultural sites
Zielona Gora Zielona may refer to the following places:
*Zielona, Lublin Voivodeship (east Poland)
*Zielona, Gmina Gródek in Podlaskie Voivodeship (northeast Poland)
*Zielona, Gmina Supraśl in Podlaskie Voivodeship (northeast Poland)
*Zielona, Bochnia County i ...
Monuments and memorials in Poland
Buildings and structures in Lubusz Voivodeship