Flatow Tower, Potsdam, Germany
N 52° 24.266 E 013° 05.137
33U E 369770 N 5807746
Neo-gothic tower overlooking the town of Potsdam, Germany
Waymark Code: WM5VMV
Location: Brandenburg, Germany
Date Posted: 02/16/2009
Views: 26
This is the highest peak in Babelsberg Park, a park adjacent to
Babelsberg Palace, once the summer residence of German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm I. Until 1848, a windmill was located here. After the mill burned down, Architect
Johann Heinrich Strack designed a 151 feet high tower in neo-gothic style, based on the
Eschenhein Tower in Frankfurt/Main. The tower was built between 1853 and 1856 using stones from a former princely estate in Western Prussia, named Flatow. It was eventually named after the estate.
Originally, the tower was protected by a draw bridge and a number of canons and was adorned by statues of medieval lansquenets. Everything except the tower itself was destroyed in the final battles of World War II and the tower remained a ruin for many years after the war.
During the communist years, it was illegal to climb the tower because it offered a great view over Potsdam and West Berlin and the Wall between the two cities. It would have been the perfect place to plan an escape from East Germany.
Shortly after German reunification, the Tower was restored to its old beauty. It is now open to the public every weekend between April 1 and October 15 and offers the best view over the town and the parks and lakes surrounding it.
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