Friedenswarte - Peace Tower - Brandenburg - Bismarck Towers on Waymarking.com

The Bismarck Tower in Brandenburg/Havel was erected between 1905 and 1908 on top of the town's highest mountain, the 222 feet high Marienberg. It was designed by architect Bruno Möhring, who also supervised the construction. There was a bust of Chancellor Bismarck in the center of the tower. Two stairways led to the top, each one adorned with the coat of arms of the Bismarck family.
After World War II, Brandenburg ended up in the Soviet Occupation zone and in 1958, the new rulers of the land renamed the tower "Peace Tower" and replaced Bismarck's bust with a relief sculpture of Picasso's Peace Dove.
However, with its well known history and obvious architecture, the old tower stood out like a sore thumb towering over the new "socialist" town. So, first, communist authorities declared the tower deteriorated and closed it to the public, then in March 1974, it was declared "beyond repair" and was blown up, using no less than 400 1-pound charges. The engineer in charge of the blast later told local reporters, that the tower would have lasted "for centuries to come."
However, even 400 pounds of dynamite couldn't blast away the foundation and the new "modern" glass and steel tower was erected directly on the remains of the old foundation.
(excerpt from a longer article at (visit link) translated by the author.)

Condition of Building: Demolished, except for the foundation Parking: yes

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   05/14/2014 sukosun&piratebride visited it