Schmausenbuckturm

Schmausenbuckturm rises from Schmausenbuck hill in Nuremberg, within the forested Lorenzer Reichswald. The hill reaches about 390 metres above sea level and includes Nuremberg Zoo. The 29-metre stone tower carries an observation platform above a protected landscape in the Natura 2000 network.

Georg Friedrich Hildenbrand designed the tower in Neo-Nuremberg style, replacing the wooden Himmelsleiter. Construction began in 1887, and the finished structure opened in 1888 beneath a pointed metal roof. Damage during the Second World War led to its reconstruction in 1965. An amateur radio relay now occupies the tower, while the surrounding slopes offer hiking, cycling, bouldering and winter sledding.

Sandstone from Schmausenbuck helped build Nuremberg, and the hill’s highest point is called Gritz. A romantic park with ruins and a hermitage shaped the area during the early nineteenth century. A late-eighteenth-century guesthouse later grew into a hotel and entertainment venue. The most striking detail remains the observation platform, set above trees, sandstone cliffs and the zoo.