Bismarck Tower (Metz)

The construction of a Bismarck tower in or around Metz was first proposed in the winter of 1898-1899 by one Lieutenant-Colonel Winterfeld, whose unit was then stationed in the area.

For security reasons (as a border town, Metz was one of the most fortified cities in Germany), the tower was not allowed to be constructed at the summit of Mont Saint-Quentin, but rather on its southeastern slope.

After the tower was opened, there was a proposal by the local newspaper, the Metzer Zeitung, to rename Mont St-Quentin to the Bismarck-Höhe, but the idea was ultimately rejected.

[1] French troops reoccupied Metz in November 1918, after the German defeat in World War I. Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France in 1919.

More than a century of weathering, wartime damage, and graffiti have taken their toll on the exterior; as of August 2012 it is in a semi-ruined state, covered by dense vegetation.