Malakoffturm

The Malakoff Tower at Cologne's Holzmarkt is a historic relic of the Prussian fortifications along the Rhine, built between 1848 and 1858. Originally designed as a gate tower with an open battery and a gun tower, it protected the new safety harbor south of the old town. The design was drawn up by Colonel-Engineer Carl Schnitzler, while municipal master builder Bernhard Harperath oversaw construction. The tower was named in 1855 after the capture of Fort Malakoff in the Crimean War. Its architecture is striking: a two-story brick structure topped by an octagonal tower, with a semicircular extension on the harbor side and an oriel on the city side crowned by a ring of battlements.

Over time, the complex lost its military function and was integrated into the Rheinau Harbor in the 1890s. In the process, the tower shifted from the Rhine side to the city side. To operate the swing bridge connecting it to the opposite bank, a hydraulic pressure-water pump was installed in the tower to move the heavy bridge structure. Today the tower is a popular destination for an outing. You can cross the swing bridge, which is usually open to pedestrians and cyclists, to reach the Chocolate Museum on the other side. Since 2005, the harbor terrace at the Chocolate Museum has also invited visitors to linger, while the statue of the tug-of-war men southwest of the tower recalls the work of the harbor.