Experts about the tower on the Löbauer Berg hill:
"...a cast-iron object of a very rare kind...", a cast-iron observation tower in Löbau, Saxony, which was built in 1854, just three years after its technical model, Paxton's London Crystal Palace. This octagonal, almost grid-like, transparent structure, which looks like a filigree pagoda, is the only cast-iron observation tower in Europe. Like Paxton's work, it is a montage, the work of sculptor and modeller Marquart from the Bernsdorf foundry."
- extract from a speech by Prof. Sperlich in Wismar, June 1993.
Technical details:
More than 1,000 individual lead-clad parts weighing 70 tonnes were used, which are neither bolted nor riveted. The architecture of the tower follows the 19th century neo style, which is based mainly on Byzantine and Gothic ornamentation.
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Around 1850 the idea of building a lookout tower on the Löbauer Berg was born. In 1853 the project took concrete form. Discussions were held about the appearance and financing of the construction. Both a stone and a cast-iron tower were planned and in the end the cast-iron version was chosen.
But the problem was financing the construction. One man decided to take the tower project into his own hands. This was the master baker Friedrich August Bretschneider from Löbau (born 1805). After negotiations between him and the City Council, construction could begin in 1854.
On 12 January 1854, cleaning work began on the place where the tower was later to be located. With a climbing tree placed at the height of the projected tower, the best vantage point on the mountain was found. The supporting columns were anchored in the rock at a depth of eight metres, and from 80 square metres of wood an octagonal scaffolding was erected for the tower. In February, King Frederick August of Saxony gave his approval for his name to be placed on the tower and for the Saxon coat of arms to be attached to it. On the occasion of the king's 57th birthday, the iron ground anchor was ceremoniously installed on 18 May 1854. At the beginning of June the construction of the tower began. Despite the technical possibilities of the time, installation took only two and a half months.
Against expectations, the construction cost a total of around 25,000 thalers - not an easy task for a master baker and all the more honourable. To earn this sum, Bretschneider would have to bake and sell around 1.6 million kilograms of bread.
The inauguration of the tower had to be postponed from 1 August to a later date because the King of Saxony suffered a fatal accident during a stay in the Tyrolean Alps. In the shadow of this event, the inauguration took place on 9 September 1854. "Gusseiserne" was enthusiastically received by domestic and foreign guests. However, Bretschneider no longer experienced this flowering, he died on 22 July 1863.
In 1870 the city took over the tower. Löbau paid the heirs 2,000 thalers and granted Bretschneider's widow a ten-year annuity of 100 thalers a year. In 1875 the tower received eight copper orientation plaques on the parapet of the upper gallery. In 1889 the painting and gilding were renewed for the first time. The restaurant building was erected in 1902.
Further renovation work was carried out in 1964. More than 300 individual parts were cast anew, the paintings and gilding were renewed. For static reasons, steel protective strips became necessary in 1985. Falling off parts and rust meant that the tower had to be closed to the public in spring 1992 and a complete reconstruction was necessary.
The dismantling began on 9 September 1993. Parts of the tower were sandblasted to show which parts could be reused. The supporting parts were cast anew. The citizens of Löbau and other enthusiasts of the tower managed, with much support and donations, to rebuild their jewel. Generous donations from Landratsamt Zittau at the time, Amt für Denkmalpflege and generous support from the Free State of Saxony made the restoration possible. The Leipzig company "Fach und Werk, Beratungs-, Planungs- und Servicegesellschaft für Denkmalpflege mbH" with 29 companies from specialist sectors - mainly from the region - was responsible.
After only one year, the tower was reopened on 9 September 1994, 140 years after its construction. Once again, the cast iron tower invites you to look across Upper Lusatia to the Czech Giant Mountains. True to the motto of the builder Friedrich August Bretschneider: "The wider the view, the freer the heart".
Architect Friedrich August Bretschneider jun.
Sculptor and modeller C. W. Marquart
Owner of the Bernsdorf ironworks Ludwig von Klitzing
Master metallurgist in Bernsdorf G. Grieshammer
Installation, engraver and assembler Geisler
Master builder Carl Gottlieb Lippert
Master bricklayer Friedrich Wagner
Master mason Kleint
Foreman Gottfried Rönsch
Scaffolding Gottfried Rönsch
King Frederick August Tower - restoration 1993-1994.
Falling off parts and rust meant that the tower had to be closed to tourists in the spring of 1992.
The aim was to reopen the city's attractions to the public on the occasion of its 140th anniversary on 9 September 1994. The structural analysis report confirmed: only complete dismantling guarantees a safe reconstruction. This set the direction for the work and a tight schedule for the unique international challenge for all concerned. On 9 September 1993, exactly one year before the completion date, the mayor of Löbau, Dietrich Schulte, symbolically handed over the key to the tower, and thus the tower for one year, to the general contractor, Fach & Werk from Leipzig. At this point, the dismantling of the first part, the tower lantern, began under the direction of foreman (Richtmeisters) Milkowski.
Dismantling
During dismantling, all parts of the tower were carefully marked and stored in the hall of the former People's National Army. The exact parts were: 112 main columns, 64 side plates, 184 stair segments, 170 parts of the main platforms and handrails, struts, anchors and small parts with a total weight of 70 tonnes. The common goal of all concerned was to reuse as much of the original substance as possible.
Renovation
Sandblasting started in spring 1994 revealed damages. As a result, among other things, blowholes appeared in the balusters of the viewing platforms (indentations created during the casting process), and the large decorative plates had cracks in the wing area. All important load-bearing and static parts were cast anew. These include all the ring anchoring elements, 50% of the stair treads and the viewing platform plates. Completely new but statically important: the so-called "inner tower", i.e. the steel columns that absorb the tensile forces of the tower, were inserted into the old, internally hollow cast iron columns. This made it possible to repair and reuse all the old cast iron columns.
Reconstruction
The first finished elements were transported to the construction site and the individual parts were pre-assembled. On 16 May 1994, the mayor of Löbau, Mr Schulte, set up the first new/old cast column. The decorative plates, again cast with cast lead on the underside and covered on the sides, received an additional acrylic sealing layer at the joints of the parts to prevent water penetration. While the installation work on both the middle and upper platforms was still in progress, six conservators from the region began gilding the lowest plates.
New inauguration
The tower is standing again, the work has been completed. "König-Friedrich-August-Turm" was commissioned on 9 September 1994. The ceremonial handover of the tower to the mayor by Fach & Werk was carried out in the same way as at the beginning of the takeover, with a symbolic handover of the keys. All those involved in the construction showed a high sense of responsibility and great care in the handling of the historic building fabric. The high degree of reuse of original parts (around 80%) illustrates the sensitivity with which the tower was handled throughout the reconstruction period.
The eight plaques on the King Frederick Augustus cast-iron Tower include thanks to the builders of...
We will soon present here the story of the eight memorial plaques.
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