Hochzeitsturm, Art Nouveau tower on Mathildenhöhe, Darmstadt, Germany
The Hochzeitsturm is an Art Nouveau tower on Mathildenhöhe in Darmstadt rising 48.5 meters high with five copper-covered pinnacles forming a crown shape. The structure features dark-red clinker brick with decorative window bands, and visitors reach the observation platform via 195 steps or an elevator.
Built between 1907 and 1908, this tower was designed as a monument to commemorate the marriage of Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig to Princess Eleonore. It has shaped the appearance of Mathildenhöhe since its completion and reflects the importance of this royal wedding to the city.
The tower's name refers to the 1905 wedding of Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig and Eleonore of Solms-Hohensolms-Lich, and the city had it built as a gift. Today the registry office uses the former Grand Duke's room on the fourth floor, while the fifth floor holds the Grand Duchess's wedding room with a gilded stucco ceiling and a wall frieze showing the bridal procession.
Visitors can reach the observation platform at about 33.5 meters high using stairs or an elevator to enjoy views across Darmstadt. Comfortable shoes are recommended if you choose to take the stairs rather than the elevator.
The sundial on the south side was made in 1914 to designs by Friedrich Wilhelm Kleukens by the Puhl & Wagner workshop in Berlin-Neukölln, framed by the twelve zodiac signs on a blue ground. The mechanical clock on the north side, also from 1914, follows a design by Albin Müller; two golden torches and three round arches enclosing a cross, a flaming heart and an anchor surround its 4 by 4 metre dial. It was fully restored in 1999 and its gilding renewed.
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