Parnass Tower
Encyclopedia
The Parnass Tower is an observation tower
in the town of Plön
in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein
. It sits on the summit of the low hill of Parnaß (a terminal moraine
).
It is a 20-metre-high, steel, lattice tower built on a stone plinth with an observation platform 20 metres above the ground (and 85 metres above sea level).
The tower was erected in 1888 by the Plön Tourist Association (Plöner Verschönerungsverein).
Following renovation work in 1985 it has been reopened as an observation tower.
On the southern side of the stone base of the tower are three panels with:
From the top of the tower are views over the town of Plön and all of the surrounding countryside with its lakes.
Observation tower
An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision. They are usually at least tall and made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches...
in the town of Plön
Plön
Plön is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 13,000 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, touching the town on virtually all sides...
in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
. It sits on the summit of the low hill of Parnaß (a terminal moraine
Terminal moraine
A terminal moraine, also called end moraine, is a moraine that forms at the end of the glacier called the snout.Terminal moraines mark the maximum advance of the glacier. An end moraine is at the present boundary of the glacier....
).
It is a 20-metre-high, steel, lattice tower built on a stone plinth with an observation platform 20 metres above the ground (and 85 metres above sea level).
The tower was erected in 1888 by the Plön Tourist Association (Plöner Verschönerungsverein).
Following renovation work in 1985 it has been reopened as an observation tower.
On the southern side of the stone base of the tower are three panels with:
- an Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
with the coat of arms of Schleswig-Holstein and the dates 1848 and 1849 (in memory of the First Schleswig War) - a portrait relief of Emperor William IWilliam I, German EmperorWilliam I, also known as Wilhelm I , of the House of Hohenzollern was the King of Prussia and the first German Emperor .Under the leadership of William and his Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, Prussia achieved the unification of Germany and the...
- an Iron Cross with a "W" and the date 1870 (in memory of the Franco-Prussian WarFranco-Prussian WarThe Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
)
From the top of the tower are views over the town of Plön and all of the surrounding countryside with its lakes.