Baltic Sea watchtower, Kühlungsborn, Historical watchtower in Kühlungsborn, Germany.
The Baltic Sea watchtower in Kühlungsborn is a BT 11 type observation tower from the East German era, located near the beach promenade in the eastern section of town. The structure features a high-magnification telescope and searchlight system designed to monitor maritime activity along the coast.
The tower was built in 1972 to serve as a maritime watch post for the Coastal Brigade, monitoring shipping and preventing people from escaping across the Baltic Sea. It was one of a series of 27 such towers constructed along the East German coastline.
The exhibition space holds objects from escape attempts and daily items belonging to border guards, offering insight into how people lived within this divided landscape. These artifacts tell the story of those on both sides of the barrier.
Entry to the tower's interior requires climbing a steel ladder, with information panels placed around the structure describing documented escape attempts. Plan your visit for clear weather to better appreciate views from the observation deck.
Only two of the original 27 towers of this type have survived along the entire East German Baltic coastline, and this is one of them. The structure reveals a lesser-known aspect of border control that focused specifically on preventing maritime escapes.
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