Aufklärungsturm M, Military observation tower in Neustadt in Holstein, Germany

Aufklärungsturm M is a grey concrete structure with functional design that rises prominently above the surroundings of Neustadt in Holstein. The building features several levels with protruding elements and small window openings that remain visible today and hint at its original purpose.

Aufklärungsturm M was built in the mid-1960s on the Rettiner Wiesen in Pelzerhaken, directly on the then border with East Germany, and operated by the Bundesmarine from the early 1970s for electronic radio reconnaissance. Its function was kept secret; of six identical towers, only this one belonged to the navy. Reconnaissance stopped after the 1989/90 political changes, Marinefernmeldestelle 711 was dissolved in 1992, and the tower passed to the town of Neustadt in Holstein in 1997.

The tower is part of the military landscape along the Lübeck Bay and shows how communication worked in the past. Visitors can observe its construction from outside and understand the role such installations played in coastal defense.

The tower is located in a publicly accessible area and can be viewed from the outside without requiring guided tours or special arrangements. The surrounding grounds are managed by the local municipality and are easy to reach on foot.

The tower stands 83 metres tall and has 16 storeys. Its direction-finding and interception antennas, along with the receivers, were housed out of sight on floors 12 to 16. At times up to 300 soldiers and civilian staff of the defence ministry worked here around the clock in three shifts.