The Krawutschke Tower (German: ''Krawutschketurm'') is a 13 metre tall

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 ...

in the

Hürtgenwald Hürtgenwald is a municipality in the district of Düren in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the Eifel hills, approx. 15 km south-west of Düren. Much of the area is covered by forest (Hürtgenwald in li ...

municipality in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, about one kilometer east of the village center of ''Bergstein'', approximately 10 km south of

Düren Düren (; ripuarian: Düre) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between Aachen and Cologne on the river Rur. History Roman era The area of Düren was part of Gallia Belgica, more specifically the territory of the Eburones, a people ...

. The Krawutschke Tower is 400.5 m above sea level, situated on the ''Burgberg'' (Engl. castle mountain), which, during

World War II 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 ...

, also had the Allied-given name

Hill 400 A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct summit. Terminology The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally considered to be not as ...

due to its elevation. The Krawutschke Tower has three platforms, one above the other, each separated by three meters. On a clear day, one can see

Cologne cathedral Cologne Cathedral (german: Kölner Dom, officially ', English: Cathedral Church of Saint Peter) is a Catholic cathedral in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne and of the administration of the Archdiocese of ...

. Looking eastward, the

Nideggen Castle The ruins of Nideggen Castle (german: Burg Nideggen) are a symbol of the town of Nideggen in Germany and are owned by the county of Düren. The rectangular hill castle was the seat of the powerful counts and dukes of Jülich and had a reputatio ...

is visible on the other side of the

Rur The Rur or Roer (german: Rur ; Dutch and li, Roer, , ; french: Rour) is a major river that flows through portions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. It is a right (eastern) tributary to the Meuse ( nl, links=no, Maas). About 90 perce ...

valley. The tower has a panoramic view over the reservoir with the dam at ''Obermaubach''. In 1911 an observation tower was built on the ruins of the former Berenstein castle, the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

name Berenstein eventually becoming today's Bergstein. In 1933 a new tower was erected, named ''Eifelwanderer Franz Krawutschke'' after the locally famous

Eifel Club The Eifel Club (german: Eifelverein) is one of the largest rambling clubs in Germany with a membership of 28.000. Its purpose is the "maintenance of local customs, the protection and care of monuments to which it is particularly committed". The ...

member, Franz Krawutschke (1862-1940). The tower, which also was being used as 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 ...

, was heavily damaged during World War II and then destroyed by a forest fire in 1945. It was rebuilt in 1972, financed by the municipality of Hürtgenwald, the Eifel Club, the district of Düren and the state of

North Rhine-Westphalia North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a States of Germany, state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more tha ...

. From July 2005 to November 2006 the tower had to be closed for safety reasons. After renovation of a substantial part of the supporting wooden construction (costs about € 65,000), the tower is open to the public again.

References

* Ernst Kamp, Stefan Kamp: ''DNA Taschenführer – Wanderungen in der Eifel'', {{coord, 50, 41, 41, N, 6, 26, 29, E, region:DE-NW_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title Observation towers in North Rhine-Westphalia