The 31-meter-high Bismarck Tower was built from 1907 to 1912 by the recently founded Rheinhessen Bismarck Association on the Westerberg. It was intended as a symbol of patriotic sentiment and as a counterpart to the Niederwald Monument erected in 1871 near Rüdesheim.
The architect Wilhelm Kreis from Eltville designed a building type using elements of Art Nouveau and Neo-Romanesque that became significant for the construction of similar monuments in honor of Bismarck throughout the German Empire. Rough-hewn blocks of limestone from the region give the tower a robust character. Inside, a metal staircase leads to the viewing platform, which offers a wide view over the city and its surroundings, and across the Rhine into the Rheingau and Taunus.
During the pre-Christmas season, the Bismarck Tower transforms into an oversized Advent candle, which can be seen from far into the Rheingau in the evenings. For this reason, the tower is unfortunately closed from mid-November to the end of January.
