Harkort Tower

The Harkortturm, a lookout tower on the Harkortberg in Wetter (Ruhr), was built in 1884 in memory of Friedrich Harkort. The design by Düsseldorf architects Otto van Els and Bruno Schmitz won an architectural competition, although the construction costs were ultimately higher than planned.

With a height of 35 meters, the tower offers a panoramic view over the Harkortsee to the Sauerland. Its architecture imitates medieval castles and is part of historicism.
The tower originally housed a restaurant with a pavilion and beer garden before it was transferred to the municipality of Wetter in 1907. In 2009, a renovation was carried out to mark the 125th anniversary.

The Harkort Tower is a listed building and is part of the Industrial Heritage Route. It is an important architectural monument and a popular tourist destination that combines history, architecture and picturesque views.

The Harkortberg is a 231.6 meter high and about 1.5 kilometers long southern foothills of the ridge on the Heil in Ardeygebirge. It is located in the district Alt-Wetter von Wetter

The Harkort Tower is a viewing tower on the Harkortberg in Wetter (Ruhr), which was built in 1884 from private donations in memory of Friedrich Harkort. The tower has been a listed building since 1984 and has been listed on the Industrial Heritage Route since the beginning of 2011.

The joint design by Düsseldorf architects Otto van Els and Bruno Schmitz emerged victorious from an architectural competition held in 1882. After the architects had incorporated some of the client's requests for changes, they came up with a cost estimate of 20,000 marks - in contrast to the 15,000 marks calculated when the competition was announced, which corresponded to the actual existing building fund.[1] Only after the additional costs had been covered by further donations could construction begin. The tower was finally inaugurated on October 19, 1884.

Bruno Schmitz, who was only 23 at the time of the competition, later became one of the most famous monument architects in Germany.

The tower has a height of 35 meters. 130 steps lead the visitor to the viewing platform, which offers a distant view over the Harkortsee and into the Sauerland. The architecture of the tower is reminiscent of medieval castles; the wall openings in the area of the lower terrace have Gothic pointed arches. In terms of style, the Harkort Tower belongs to historicist architecture.

There used to be a restaurant with a pavilion and beer garden at its foot. On June 1, 1907, the buildings and the 3-hectare site were transferred to the municipality of Wetter. The tower was renovated in 2009 for the 125th anniversary, and in the same year the 100th anniversary of the completion of the town hall and the regaining of city rights was celebrated.

Source: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harkortturm