Bismarck Tower, Observation tower on Philosophenweg, Heidelberg, Germany

Bismarck Tower is a 1903 memorial column on the south slope of the Heiligenberg above the Philosophenweg in Heidelberg. It follows Wilhelm Kreis's "Götterdämmerung" design, one of 47 built to that model. A cast-iron fire bowl 2.5 metres across sits at the top, and a stair inside leads to a view over the old town.

The tower was built in 1903 as a memorial to Otto von Bismarck during a period when similar monuments were rising across Germany. This movement of construction shaped the landscape from the late 1800s through the early 1900s.

The name Bismarcksäule comes from a 1899 competition by the German student body, which sought fire columns rather than lookout towers; Wilhelm Kreis won with his "Götterdämmerung" design. Heidelberg's tower is one of 47 built to that model. In June 2003 a centenary festival lit a commemorative fire in the cast-iron bowl on top.

The tower stands on the south slope of the Heiligenberg, above the Philosophenweg path. Visitors climb an interior staircase to reach the viewing level; sturdy shoes are useful on the wooded approach paths.

The Heidelberg tower is one of 47 built to Wilhelm Kreis's winning design "Götterdämmerung", chosen in the 1899 competition of the German student body, which sought fire columns rather than lookout towers. Its summit carries a cast-iron fire bowl 2.5 metres across, and a relief of the imperial eagle with the serpent of discord.