Wittelsbacher-Tower, Observation tower on Scheinberg hill in Bad Kissingen, Germany.
The Wittelsbacher Jubiläumsturm is a 33-metre tower on the 400-metre Scheinberg in Arnshausen, a quarter of Bad Kissingen. Its shaft is built of Muschelkalk limestone, while the portal, balustrade, cupola and the crowned lion on top are of green sandstone. The observation deck at 25 metres lies about 245 metres above the Saale valley.
The tower was built in 1907 and was intended to honor the Bavarian ruling dynasty. Its construction reflected a period when such monuments were commonly erected throughout the region.
The tower takes its name from the Wittelsbach dynasty that ruled Bavaria for centuries. From the viewing platform, visitors can see how the surrounding landscape and town spread out below.
The tower stands on the 400-metre Scheinberg in the Arnshausen district, and its platform at 25 metres is reached by a spiral staircase inside. A restaurant has stood next to the tower since 1930; the first timber building burned down in 1933 and was replaced the same year by a solid structure. The tower was closed in the 1970s for structural decay and later restored by the Free State of Bavaria.
The tower's crowned lion, portal, balustrade and cupola are made of green sandstone, while the shaft itself is Muschelkalk limestone. The lion was designed by sculptor Valentin Weidner. In 1924 a memorial for Lower Franconian World War I victims was planned around the tower; Crown Prince Rupprecht attended the 1925 foundation ceremony, but the Great Depression halted the project.
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