Bismarck Tower, Television tower and tourist attraction in Langenberg, Velbert, Germany

The Bismarckturm on the Hordtberg in Velbert's Langenberg district is a 28.4-metre tower inaugurated on 1 April 1906. It was designed by architect Arno Eugen Fritsche and built of brick and phonolite. A restaurant at its foot gives access to the tower's staircase.

The tower was built in 1906 as a memorial tower during a nationwide wave of Bismarck monuments across Germany. This movement spanned from 1869 to 1934 and reflected the era's tendency to honor historical figures through architecture.

The tower carries Bismarck's name as a historical monument from a specific era in German history. Today it functions mainly as a viewpoint, with its name serving more as a landmark identifier than as a reminder of past events.

The tower stands on the Hordtberg in the Langenberg district of Velbert. Its staircase is entered through a restaurant built at the foot of the tower, so access to the viewing level depends on that establishment. The nearby Langenberg radio transmitter, whose origins go back to 1925, is a separate structure and not part of the tower.

The tower is not a transmitter: the nearby Rundfunksender Langenberg, whose origins go back to 1925, is a separate facility. In World War II the Wehrmacht used the tower itself as a radio station because of its high position, and the US Army's 9th Division seized it to cut off German military communication.