The Ernst Moritz Arndt Tower (german: Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Turm) stands on the top of the

Rugard The Rugard, at , is the highest elevation in the central region of the German Baltic Sea island of Rügen. This push end moraine was formed in the last ice age and lies on the northeastern perimeter of the town of Bergen auf Rügen. There was ...

, the highest point of the central region of the German

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and ...

island of

Rügen Rügen (; la, Rugia, ) is Germany's largest island. It is located off the Pomeranian coast in the Baltic Sea and belongs to the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The "gateway" to Rügen island is the Hanseatic city of Stralsund, where ...

. It is listed as a historic structure by the county of Rügen.

Origin and construction

In preparation for the 100th anniversary of the German poet,

Ernst Moritz Arndt Ernst Moritz Arndt (26 December 1769 – 29 January 1860) was a German nationalist historian, writer and poet. Early in his life, he fought for the abolition of serfdom, later against Napoleonic dominance over Germany. Arndt had to flee to Swe ...

, an Arndt Monument Committee was formed in 1869 under the chairmanship of Rügen '' Landrat'', von Platen, and the

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

mayor, Dr. Richter. Donations were asked for and architects invited to submit designs. The foundation stone was laid on 26 December 1869, the day of the celebrations. The design chosen was by the master builder of the royal parliament,

Hermann Eggert Georg Peter Hermann Eggert (3 January 1844 – 12 March 1920) was a German architect. He designed important public buildings such as the Frankfurt Main Station and the New Town Hall in Hannover, often in the style of Neo-Renaissance. Career Bo ...

from Berlin, who ran the project from beginning to end. In summer 1872 the 13 foot high rock foundation of the tower was built and in the following winter the earthworks began. In 1873 the first storey was completed. At that point, the money ran out. Not until 1875 was the second storey and internal staircase built. In 1876 the third storey and the dome followed, so that on 6 October that year the

topping out In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed atop a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is often parlaye ...

ceremony (''Richtfest'') was celebrated. In 1877 the 26.7 metre-high monument was finally completed.

Literature

* Erich Anmack: ''Zum 50jährigen Bestehen des E. M. Arndt-Denkmals auf dem Rugard''. In: Unser Pommerland Vol. 2 1928, p. 54.

External links

{{Coord, 54.421804, N, 13.444766, E, type:landmark_region:DE-MV, display=title, format=dms Towers completed in 1877 Observation towers in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Revival architectural styles Buildings and structures in Vorpommern-Rügen Culture of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Vorpommern-Rügen Rügen Bergen auf Rügen 1877 establishments in Germany Hermann Eggert buildings