The popular and almost 19 m high Otto Tower above the town of Kirchen (Sieg) in the Druiden.Hexen.Siegerland (Druids.Witches.Siegerland) was erected twice, once in 1911 and again completely new almost 100 years later. Here, from the heights of the Kahlberg, we can enjoy the wonderful all-round view of the Siegtal valley, the Freusburg castle and the heights of the Westerwald. Numerous hiking trails, such as the Druidensteig, Natursteig Sieg, Ottoturm and Druidenwanderweg, etc., lead directly past the tower.
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The first Ottoturm was erected in 1911 on the Kahlberg (405.9 metres above sea level) and completed in September of the same year. The inauguration was celebrated in May 1912 as part of a folk and spring festival. The industrialist Otto Stein from Kirchen made a special contribution to the construction of the first tower with considerable sums of money to finance it. In his honour the tower received its name. The older ones still know how to tell, how one looked for the most beautiful location for the tower near the summit of the Weißenstein for quite a long time. Later the transport of the heavy iron parts to the top of the mountain caused all kinds of difficulties. Already the first transport wagon, which was moving up from the Kirchener station, collapsed at the Höferwald under the heavy load. On 26.01.2006 the old Otto Tower had to be closed for safety reasons and finally demolished on 19.05.2009.
For the reconstruction of the Ottoturm, the "Verein zum Erhalt kulturhistorischer Sätten der Stadt Kirchen - Freunde des Ottoturms e. V." was founded on 08.12.2006. For each of the 102 steps of the new tower, an individual sponsor was sought and also found, who participated with a donation of 500 euros per step. Today, all step sponsors can be found on small signs from the first step up to the viewing platform. On 17.06.2010, the representatives of the Friends of the Society, the Church administration and politicians met for the ground-breaking ceremony. In only 5 days the new steel construction was completely erected in the period from 16 to 20 August 2010, so that within the scope of a first ascent the Fernsicht was able to enjoy a small number of political guests and those responsible for the construction for the first time on 28 August 2010.
The new Ottoturm was officially opened on 05.09.2010 at an official opening ceremony. The construction of the tower cost a total of 130,000 euros. With a proud donation sum of around 70,000 euros, the association alone contributed to the preservation of the cultural and historical sites of the city "Kirchen - Freunde des Ottoturms e. V." (Churches - Friends of the Otto Tower). This shows that people, even beyond the city limits of churches (Sieg), feel very connected to "their" Ottoturm. The tower, now 18.59 metres high, is next to the Druidenstein a popular excursion destination when the weather is fine and invites you to go for a walk or a hike. It offers an excellent "all-round view" of the Siegtal, the Freusburg up to the heights of the Westerwald.
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Contact and directions
Auf dem Kahlberg
57548 Kirchen-Herkersdorf
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