Bismarckturm Würzburg

Bismarckturm Würzburg rises fifteen metres above the Würzburger Stein vineyards, surrounded by the small Bismarckswäldchen woodland. Franconian shell limestone gives the protected monument its solid donjon form, with round corner towers and a projecting cornice.

Wilhelm Kreis designed the tower in 1905, and builders from Würzburg completed it within three months. The lookout once offered views across Würzburg and the vineyards, while ceremonial fires burned in a roof-mounted bowl and at the southern fire altar. A relief above the entrance shows an imperial eagle with the snake of discord. The interior still contains a wall-mounted stone staircase and an iron spiral staircase, but a steel door now seals the entrance because the structure has deteriorated.

The cast-iron fire bowl remains on the roof, enclosed by an octagonal protective cage and measuring about two and a half metres across. Rust has eaten through parts of it, while rainwater entering from above continues to damage the tower.