The foundation stone was laid on April 5, 1904. After six months of construction, the tower was inaugurated on October 9, 1904. Bismarck's son, Prince Herbert von Bismarck, sent a greeting telegram at this celebration. A Bismarck medallion, which has been missing since around 1951, was attached above the entrance to the tower. Inside the tower, a plaque of honor made of Swedish granite with the Bismarck coat of arms and a dedication in gold letters for the donor Julius Hoffmann was installed:
"Bismarck Tower, built from the donation of Mr. Commerzienrat Julius Hoffmann from the Natural Science Association in 1904".
A wooden signpost showed the way to the tower and others. with the words:
"Stop! Walker stop! A Bismarck Tower!”.
After the First World War, the tower was renamed the "Grenzturm" because of its location a few meters from the German-Czech border. After the Second World War, the name was changed again to "Youth Tower".
In 1938, an ordinance said that a fire in the brazier—lit on special occasions or anniversaries—must burn for 10 hours after dark. After 1945, the tower, which was in need of renovation, had to be closed to visitors. From July 1992, the tower was extensively restored and reopened as the Bismarck Tower on September 12, 1993 for the Day of the Open Monument - more than 1,000 visitors climbed the tower on that day. In the course of the renovation, a new Bismarck medallion could be attached above the entrance.
The Neugersdorfer Museumsverein e.V. handed over the supervision of the tower and its opening at the beginning of 2004. In October 2004, the Bismarck Tower celebrated its 100th anniversary, which was celebrated on September 4, 2004. The tower has been closed since the 2013 season and is only open on special occasions.