Steinenberg Tower, Steel observation tower in Tübingen, Germany.

Steinenberg Tower is a 12-meter steel lattice observation tower on the 492-meter Steinenberg, about 2 km northwest of Tübingen's center. It was erected in 1898 on a previously piled viewing mound. An open staircase with wooden steps leads to a spacious platform at 504 meters above sea level, offering a circular view over Tübingen, the southern Schönbuch hills, the Wurmlinger Chapel, the Swabian Jura and the Black Forest.

The tower was built in 1898 on behalf of the Verschönerungsverein Tübingen, on an artificial viewing mound that had become overgrown. It was designed by Edmund Friedrich Autenrieth of Stuttgart, a Tübingen native made an honorary member of the association in thanks; Regierungsbauführer Maier led the construction. The steel frame came from Gebrüder Wagner in Kirchentellinsfurt, the masonry from master builder Letsche in Tübingen, and the total cost, including an adjacent vineyard bought for the access path, was about 2,600 marks. The tower was restored for its centenary in 1998 with funds from the Tübinger Kulturstiftung.

The tower was built by the Verschönerungsverein Tübingen, a beautification association whose members raised the funds and commissioned the design. Its name comes from the Steinenberg, the 492-metre hill on the southern edge of the Schönbuch on which it stands. The association's aim was to give walkers from the city a fixed viewpoint, since the earlier viewing mound kept growing over.

You can reach the tower via footpaths from Schnarrenbergstraße or through forest trails near the BG-Unfallklinik bus stop. The routes are well marked, and the climb up the open steel staircase is straightforward for those with good mobility.

On clear days, you can see from the platform all the way to the Swabian Jura and the Black Forest, including the distant Wurmlinger Chapel. This far-reaching view is especially clear in winter when the air is more transparent and the landscape stretches far into the distance.