The Hagberg is a

hill A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...

, , in the county of

Ostalbkreis The Ostalbkreis is a ''Landkreis'' (district) in the east of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on the border to Bavaria. Neighboring districts are (from the north clockwise) Schwäbisch Hall, Ansbach, Donau-Ries, Heidenheim, Göppingen and Rems-Murr. ...

in the German state of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...

. It is the second highest point of the

Swabian-Franconian Forest The Swabian-Franconian Forest (german: Schwäbisch-Fränkischen Waldberge, also ''Schwäbisch-Fränkischer Wald'') is a mainly forested, deeply incised upland region, 1,187 km² in area and up to , in the northeast of Baden-Württemberg. It fo ...

, a

natural region A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecology, ecological point of view, the naturally occurring fl ...

and forested

hill range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

in the northeast of the state. In former times the Hagberg (as e. g. the

Asperg Asperg () is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. History Asperg was established by the County Palatine of Tübingen, whose ruling house had a cadet named Asperg, around a preexisting castle. The town and castle ...

and the

Hesselberg Hesselberg (; 689 m above sea level) is the highest point in Middle Franconia and the Franconian Jura and is situated 60 km south west of Nuremberg, Germany. The mountain stands isolated and far from the center of the Franconian Jura, i ...

) formed part of the border between the

Swabians Swabians (german: Schwaben, singular ''Schwabe'') are a Germanic people who are native to the ethnocultural and linguistic region of Swabia, which is now mostly divided between the modern states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, in southwestern ...

and

Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first mentioned in 3rd-century Roman sources, and associated with tribes between the Lower Rhine and the Ems River, on the edge of the Roman Empire.H. Schutz: Tools, ...

Location

The Hagberg lies 2.4 km (

as the crow flies __NOTOC__ The expression ''as the crow flies'' is an idiom for the most direct path between two points, rather similar to "in a beeline". This meaning is attested from the early 19th century, and appeared in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel '' Oliv ...

) west of the municipality of Gschwend in the

Welzheim Forest The Welzheim Forest (german: Welzheimer Wald) is a wooded, hill ridge, up to , in the counties of Rems-Murr, Ostalb and Schwäbisch Hall in Baden-Württemberg (Germany). Geography Location The Welzheim Forest lies just under 38 kilomet ...

Observation tower

The Hagberg Tower (''Hagbergturm'') is a 23-metre-high

observation tower An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, an ...

on the Hagberg that is constructed of wood on a

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

pedestal. It is crowned by two

pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...

-like structures and is visible for miles around. A first tower was erected on the hill in 1901, but even before the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

it had been replaced by the tower in its present form. In 1936 it was acquired by the

Schwäbischer Albverein The Schwäbischer Albverein e. V (Swabian Jura Association) (SAV) is one of the oldest hiking clubs in Germany. Based in Stuttgart, the society was founded on August 13, 1888 in Plochingen, Baden-Württemberg. Its territory extends far beyond the ...

, which still maintains it today. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

established an

observation post An observation post (commonly abbreviated OP), temporary or fixed, is a position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements, to warn of approaching soldiers (such as in trench warfare), or to direct fire. In strict military terminology, an ...

in the tower.Walter Hees: ''Die Amerikaner kommen … Kriegszeit und Kriegsende in Gschwend und auf der Frickenhofer Höhe.'' Hennecke, Remshalden-Buoch, 2006, {{ISBN, 3-927981-84-2. At that time the upper pagoda was removed. In 1949 the tower was renovated, in 1973 it had to be closed, however, due to its state of disrepair. In 1979/80 it was rebuilt in its original shape and opened again on 21 June 1980. From the two observation platforms there are views in good weather as far as

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

Heilbronn Heilbronn () is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in northern Baden-Württemberg, Germany, surrounded by Heilbronn (district), Heilbronn District. With over 126,000 residents, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. From the late Mid ...

Crailsheim Crailsheim is a town in the German state of Baden-Württemberg. Incorporated in 1338, it lies east of Schwäbisch Hall and southwest of Ansbach in the Schwäbisch Hall district. The city's main attractions include two Evangelical churches, a ...

and

Aalen Aalen () is a former Free Imperial City located in the eastern part of the German state of Baden-Württemberg, about east of Stuttgart and north of Ulm. It is the seat of the Ostalbkreis district and is its largest town. It is also the large ...

. From Easter to the end of October the Hagberg Tower is open on Sundays and holidays. On other days it may be opened on request to Gschwend Branch of the Jura Club. 500 metres away is a car park. The tower also acts as the starting point for walks in the densely forested region around Gschwend.

References

External links

Informationen des Schwäbischen Albvereins
Mountains and hills of Baden-Württemberg Ostalbkreis