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Humberg Tower
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If you would like a visual view over the City, you can climb the Humberg Tower, located in the southern outskirts of Kaiserslautern.
On August 23rd 1896 dedicated citizens of Kaiserslautern founded the Humberg-Verein (Humberg Club) with the aim of organizing the construction and financing of an observation tower. The first general meeting was held on September 14th1896, with Major Charles Motte elected as the club's first chairman. Among the founding members were the manufacturer Pfaff, the owners of a printing press (Rohr), the commerce councilors Pfeiffer and Karcher and the malt producer Gelbert.
October 1898 saw the start of construction. The tower, which had already grown to ten meters, collapsed on May 3rd 1899, probably as a result of defective mortar. Following reconstruction, the tower was inaugurated on September 2nd1900. In March 1909, the Humberg Club disbanded. During the Second World War, the tower served as a plane observation facility for a military intelligence unit. An octagonal sandstone building and a new spire were constructed after the war. In 1963, the Scout Association of St George installed a brass orientation panel on the observation deck. It was renovated and supplemented in 1995.
The Humberg Tower was built according to the plans of the architect Ludwig Ritter von Stempel. It is in monumental sandstone ashlar, typical for the Wilhelmine period, with Neo-Romanesque overtones. The octagonal base is 8.65 meters high; the outer staircase has 33 steps, whilst the spiral staircase inside the tower has 130. The observation platform is at a height of 28.16 meters above the ground. The total height of the tower is 35.77 meters. The tower stands on the Humberg hill (424.30 meters above sea level).