Grunewald Tower

The Grunewaldturm stands on the 79-metre Karlsberg above the Havel river in south-western Berlin and is a neo-Gothic red-brick viewing tower built in 1898 to mark the centenary of Emperor Wilhelm I. It was designed by Franz Schwechten, the architect of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, and was originally called Kaiser-Wilhelm-Turm; a large marble statue of the emperor still stands in the entrance hall. A spiral of 204 steps leads to the open platform at 36 metres, with views across the Havel, the Schwanenwerder peninsula and on clear days as far as Potsdam. At the foot of the tower a classic German beer garden looks straight out over the water, with steamboat services from the nearby pier in summer.