The excursion destination "Ottoshöhe observation tower" on the Eickener Egge in the Meller mountains is older than the Mell town hall. Today we meet up there, visible from afar, the 4th generation of towers.
The founding members of the Melle Beautification and Tourist Association built the first observation tower just 2 years after the association was founded, namely in 1895!
In 2005, the Beautification and Tourist Office, which built and was responsible for all previous observation towers, became aware of damage to the construction of the third tower that could hardly be repaired. An expert report confirmed the fears that the observation tower could be operated until the end of 2007 at the latest.
The incumbent board of directors collected the necessary construction sum of 170,000 € in a very short time, in particular due to the unprecedented willingness of citizens, companies and institutions to donate.
As early as autumn 2007 the old tower was demolished by the members of the association and the new "Ottoshöhe" was inaugurated on June 14, 2008.
You can also watch a small slide show or the full film about the construction of the observation tower on the Ottoshöhe on YouTube!
The name "Ottoshöhe" is a reference to the district administrator Otto von Pestel who was in office in 1895. Otto von Pestel was a co-founder of the association (VVV). He was also a co-initiator for the construction of the first observation tower and, as the owner of the Bruche estate, made the property available.
The special features of today's lookout tower are the 7 straight, 30 m long Douglas fir trunks as the supporting structure. And what is also special about it is that these Douglas firs grew less than 1 km from the location of the tower, in the forests of the Ostenwalde estate.