Bismarck Tower

The Bismarck Tower in Essen's Kray district is a 16.75-meter-tall fire column built in honor of the statesman Otto von Bismarck. The initiative came from Emil Kirdorf, and the design was by the architect Heinrich Tscharmann, who chose the Mechtenberg, which is visible from far away, as the site. After the cornerstone was laid in spring 1900, the tower was dedicated the same year. The structure is made of basalt lava and originally bore gilded lettering on the front and back as well as a wrought-iron coat of arms on the north side, which no longer exists. At the top was a fire bowl operated with a pressure pump, but it was removed and melted down toward the end of World War II because of a shortage of materials. Today the tower is a protected historic monument and part of the Mechtenberg Landscape Park, which belongs to the Route of Industrial Heritage. You can visit the historic site, which is also the destination of an annual Way of the Cross.