The mountain is a Tertiary volcano, whose cone is composed of Lower Devonian rock and whose summit is made of basalt.

The occasion for the construction of this stone observation tower, based on plans by the architect, Freiherr von Tettau of Berlin, was the silver wedding of Emperor William II and Empress Augusta Victoria as well as the commemoration of Emperor William I The tower is 16.30 metres (53.5 ft) high and its walls are one metre thick at ground level.

The work was carried out by master masons, Karl and Johannes Leidinger, from Adenau using local stone.

The Emperor William Tower offers a superb view across the whole Eifel (including the mountains of Scharteberg, Döhmberg, Michelsberg, Hochthürmerberg, Schöneberg, the nearby Nürburg Castle and Hochkelberg), as well as the Siebengebirge and its Großer Ölberg and, in conditions of good visibility, as far as the Westerwald, the Taunus, the Hunsrück and the Lower Rhine.

Very close to the Hohe Acht on a 678 metres (2,224 ft) high volcanic cone is Nürburg Castle.