Fichteturm

The Fichteturm in Dresden-Plauen is a 30-meter-high (98-foot) round tower topped with battlements and set on a cube-shaped base. It was built in 1896 as a Bismarck tower. The oldest of its kind in Saxony, it stands in Fichtepark and offers wide views over the city all the way to Saxon Switzerland from its 27-meter-high (89-foot) observation platform, which you reach by a granite spiral staircase. Built of sandstone and syenodiorite, the tower was originally constructed to a design by the Fichtner master builders. During World War II it served as an anti-aircraft position, before it was renamed the Fichteturm in 1954 and fitted with a memorial plaque for Johann Gottlieb Fichte. After several renovations, the tower is open to visitors four days a week.