Eckkopf Tower, Steel observation tower in Deidesheim, Germany.
Eckkopf Tower is a 25-metre tubular steel observation tower on the 516-metre Eckkopf hill in the Palatine Forest, 3.6 km west-northwest of Deidesheim. Its square-plan structure is partly clad in wood, and a six-flight steel staircase with wooden steps leads over three intermediate landings and two platforms to the observation deck at 541 metres, reached by 107 steps.
The first tower, built in 1891, collapsed in a storm in 1920. The second, a wooden structure erected by the newly formed Deidesheim municipality in 1973, was destroyed by arson on 5 January 1975. The current steel-and-wood tower was funded by insurance and donations and opened on 26–27 July 1975, when over 2,000 people attended and poet Paul Tremmel recited a festive poem.
The tower takes its name from the hill where it stands and serves as a gathering point for hikers from the surrounding area. On weekends, visitors can enjoy a small inn near the structure, run by local volunteers from Deidesheim.
The tower stands 70 m west of the 516 m summit, about 3.6 km west-northwest of Deidesheim's centre, and is reached by marked hiking trails. The steel staircase with wooden steps has 107 steps, three intermediate landings and two intermediate platforms up to the observation deck at 541 m. The inn below the tower opens only on some weekends and public holidays, run by local clubs on dates drawn by the Deidesheim collective municipality.
The site was visited in 1982 by German Federal President Karl Carstens, who stopped here during his hiking tour across the country. Carstens used such walks to connect with the nation's landscapes.
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