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The Wilhelm Raabe Tower (german: Wilhelm-Raabe-Warte) is one of the few surviving
The first idea for building this observation tower emerged in November 1894. At the end of 1895 the decision was made to go ahead and the foundation stone was laid on 22 March of the following year. The ceremonial opening of the imperial tower took place on 9 September 1896.
In 1921 extensive repairs were carried out on the tower. In addition a wooden hut was built for providing food and refreshments. However between 1922 and 1950 there was only a minimal service which was interrupted from time to time.
After the Second World War further repairs to the tower were undertaken on the initiative of the Blankenburg's Harz Club members, and financially supported by the daughter of Emperor Wilhelms II, Duchess Victoria Luisa. In 1950 it was renamed the "Wilhelm Raabe Tower" in honour of the writer
Information board inside the Wilhelm-Raabe Tower
''Warten-Ausblick soll wieder möglich werden''
at volksstimme.de
at volksstimme.de
{{Coord, 51, 47, 33, N, 10, 55, 46, E, type:landmark_region:DE-ST, display=title
Observation towers in Saxony-Anhalt
Blankenburg (Harz)
Towers completed in 1896
Buildings and structures in Harz (district)
Kaiser tower
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, Frederick III and Wilhelm II in the German Empire or for Emperor Franz Josef in Austria ...
s ('' Kaiserwarten''). It is located on the Eichenberg hill near Blankenburg Blankenburg may refer to:
Places
* Blankenburg am Harz, a German town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt
* Blankenburg Castle (Harz), the castle in Blankenburg am Harz (see above)
* Bad Blankenburg, a German town in the Saalfeld-Rudolstadt dis ...
on the edge of the Harz Mountains
The Harz () is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' derives from the Middle High German ...
of central 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 ...
. It is owned by the Harz Club
The Harz Club (german: Harzklub) is club dedicated to maintaining the traditions of the Harz mountains in Germany and looking after the walking trails in the Harz. It was founded in 1886 in Seesen and, today, has about 16,000 members in some 90 ...
branch in Blankenburg. It was built in 1896 in honour of 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 ...
, the German emperor and King of Prussia and is one of the few surviving Emperor Towers.
History of the tower
The first idea for building this observation tower emerged in November 1894. At the end of 1895 the decision was made to go ahead and the foundation stone was laid on 22 March of the following year. The ceremonial opening of the imperial tower took place on 9 September 1896.
In 1921 extensive repairs were carried out on the tower. In addition a wooden hut was built for providing food and refreshments. However between 1922 and 1950 there was only a minimal service which was interrupted from time to time.
After the Second World War further repairs to the tower were undertaken on the initiative of the Blankenburg's Harz Club members, and financially supported by the daughter of Emperor Wilhelms II, Duchess Victoria Luisa. In 1950 it was renamed the "Wilhelm Raabe Tower" in honour of the writer Wilhelm Raabe
Wilhelm Raabe (; September 8, 1831November 15, 1910) was a German novelist. His early works were published under the pseudonym of Jakob Corvinus.
Biography
He was born in Eschershausen (then in the Duchy of Brunswick, now in the Holzminden Distr ...
. As the wooden shack had been destroyed, the firm of Karl Hildebrandt (architects in Blankenburg) took on the construction of a solid wooden hut to act as a restaurant. This was opened on 10 July 1954. In the course of the construction of the ''Wilhelm-Raabe-Warte restaurant a further renovation of the observation tower ensued in 1976. The restaurant was operated from 1978 to 1992.
On 19 February 1996 the Blankenburg branch of the Harz Club decided to buy the site and the Wilhelm Raabe Tower itself. Almost 7 months later, on 15 September 1996, the tower was opened to the public.
Next to the tower is the derelict building of the old inn. It is planned to open a hiker's inn here with overnight accommodation.
Technical data
* Height of tower from the parapet: 21.60 m : Platform area: 20.50 m * Steps: 106 (41 metal, 44 wood, 21 stone) * Constructed: 22 March ‒ 2 September 1896 * Height of the Eichenberg hill: 416 m above NN In excellent visibility the range of view is up to 70–75 km.See also
*Kaiser William Tower Kaiser Wilhelm Tower or Emperor William Tower is the name of various observation towers, mostly in Germany, which are given that name, although some of them also have alternative names:
Extant Kaiser Wilhelm towers in Germany:
* Kaiser Wilhelm Tow ...
References
at volksstimme.de
at volksstimme.de