Emperor towers or Kaiser towers (german: Kaisertürme or ''Kaiserwarten'') are monuments that were built up to 1918 in honour of the German emperors

William I William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

, Frederick III and

Wilhelm II , house = Hohenzollern , father = Frederick III, German Emperor , mother = Victoria, Princess Royal , religion = Lutheranism (Prussian United) , signature = Wilhelm II, German Emperor Signature-.svg Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor ...

in the German Empire or for Emperor

Franz Josef Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. The construction of these towers was also intended to counter the so-called Bismarck cult which had resulted, for example, in the erection of hundreds of Bismarck towers and columns.

Kaiser towers in Germany

* Kaiser Tower on the Neunkircher Höhe in the Odenwald * Kaiser Tower (Wernigerode) on the Armeleuteberg near

Wernigerode Wernigerode () is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,041 in 2012. Wernigerode is located southwest of Halberstadt, and is picturesquely s ...

* Kaiser Tower on the Steinberg near

Goslar Goslar (; Eastphalian: ''Goslär'') is a historic town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Goslar and located on the northwestern slopes of the Harz mountain range. The Old Town of Goslar and the Mines ...

* Kaiser Tower in

Quedlinburg Quedlinburg () is a town situated just north of the Harz mountains, in the district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. As an influential and prosperous trading centre during the early Middle Ages, Quedlinburg became a center of in ...

, since converted into a residence * Kaiser Tower in Hirschberg (Riesengebirge) * Kaiser Tower near

Leutenberg Leutenberg is a town in the district of Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated in the Thuringian Forest, 18 km southeast of Saalfeld. History Within the German Empire (1871-1918), Leutenberg was part of the Principality ...

in Thuringia * Kaiserwarte near Blankenburg (Harz), renamed the Wilhelm Raabe Tower

Kaiser towers in Austria-Hungary

* Kaiser Tower on the Nollendorfer Höhe, after 1918 renamed the Karl Weis Tower (''Karl-Weis-Warte''), later demolished

Kaiser towers in Germany

Kaiser towers in Austria-Hungary

See also