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17-621: The idea of building a tower was conceived on 29 May 1895 at the general assembly of the Gräfenstein Conservation Society ( Gräfensteiner Verschönerungsverein ), a group that forestry assessor August Zwissler from Leimen had founded in 1893. It was decided to build a viewing tower on the Weißenberg costing an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 gold marks . The necessary funding would be raised by society member Martin Jäger,

34-588: A well known local poet who went under the pseudonym, Fritz Claus. Thanks to his support for the tower he was able to win the Palatine Forest Club , founded in 1902 in Ludwigshafen, to his cause. The leadership of the PWV took over the coordination of the project, had the plans produced by architect Ludwig Ullmann and gathered the necessary funding, predominantly from membership subscriptions. Its name

51-464: Is a rectangular structure built of hewn sandstone blocks and comprises a perron , the actual observation tower itself and an attached building annexe The tower is 34.6 metres high, and the viewing platform is 28.5 metres above ground level. From platform level there is a further, small staircase tower with a door and slate roof. After climbing the perron, the visitor enters a staircase tower , well-lit by multiple window openings. There are 164 steps to

68-646: The Celtic dunum (meaning "mountain") or from the name of a Celtic deity, Taranis . During the Celtic La Tène period, around 150 BC, an important settlement ( oppidum ) was built on the Donnersberg, covering some 240 hectares. Part of the wall ( Keltenwall ) surrounding this settlement has been reconstructed. Archeological excavations are ongoing. In the Middle Ages , five castles surrounded

85-474: The Donnersbergkreis district, which is named after the mountain. The highway A63 runs along the southern edge of the Donnersberg. European walking route E8 runs across the mountain. The highest point of the Donnersberg is the rock Königstuhl ("king's seat") at 687 metres above sea level. The mountain has a diameter of about 7 kilometres and covers an area of some 2,400 hectares. The Donnersberg

102-514: The Donon (highest mountain of the northern Vosges, 96 km, visibility ca. 8%) and the Hornisgrinde (highest mountain in the northern Black Forest , 77 km, visibility ca. 14%). 49°15′9.4″N 7°49′32.3″E  /  49.252611°N 7.825639°E  / 49.252611; 7.825639 Leimen (Palatinate) Leimen is a municipality in the district of Südwestpfalz in

119-656: The German state of Rhineland-Palatinate . It is located between the cities of Kaiserslautern and Pirmasens , and is situated in the heart of the Pfaelzerwald (Palatinate Forest). Leimen belongs to the municipal association of Rodalben . Leimen was founded before 1152 under the auspices of the Benedictine cloister of Herbitzheim . Possession of Leimen later passed to the Counts of Leiningen , who administered

136-594: The observation deck . Halfway up, there is a small oriel window with a bench that can be used to rest. The upper portion of the tower is occupied by a spacious room with a relatively narrow, metallic spiral staircase in the centre, leading to the top. The visitor leaves the staircase turret through a metal door and finally enters the viewing platform, which is surrounded by a sandstone balustrade , approximately waist high, with four observation niches. In 2002, 12 tablets were mounted on this parapet at regular intervals, which point out places of interest that may be seen from

153-561: The region from their seat at Gräfenstein Castle . This Südwestpfalz location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Donnersberg The Donnersberg ( German pronunciation: [ˈdɔnɐsˌbɛʁk] ; literally: "thunder mountain") is the highest peak of the Palatinate ( German : Pfalz ) region of Germany . The mountain lies between the towns of Rockenhausen and Kirchheimbolanden , in

170-752: The state of Baden-Württemberg , in French Alsace and the Saarland , and the viewing platform has 12 direction tables that enable easy orientation. In good conditions, for example, the following may be seen: the Donnersberg (highest peak in the Palatinate region, 42 km distant, visibility ca. 42%), the Kalmit (highest mountain in the Palatine Forest, 20 km, visibility ca. 82%,),

187-523: The strategically placed mountain: Tannenfels , Wildenstein , Hohenfels , Falkenstein and Ruppertsecken . Today, only ruins remain of these five castles. About 900 metres east of the Königstuhl rock, a 27 metres tall tower was constructed in 1864–1865, the Ludwigsturm . After World War II , a radio mast for the largest U.S. radio station in western Europe was placed on the Donnersberg. In

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204-472: The tower and the extensive views that can be experienced." The tower stands on the territory of the municipality of Merzalben in the middle of the Palatine Forest at the highest point of the Weißenberg (610 m above sea level (NN) ). The tower is 1.4 kilometres from Hermersbergerhof and may be reached on foot in 10 to 20 minutes. In good weather 457 named places can be identified: in the Palatinate, in

221-487: The tower was opened to the public again in a ceremony on 28 August 2001. To support the longer term maintenance of the tower, the Luitpold Tower Club ( Luitpoldturmverein ) was set up in 2007. Its aim is to "conserve, and where possible improve, the structural state of the tower ... to ensure free access to the tower at any time as well an unobstructed panoramic view for all ... and to keep the public aware of

238-404: The tower, both close to and in the far distance, together with distance information. At the foot of the tower is an annexe, intended as a resting place and also as a refuge in case of inclement weather. It contains a stone table and benches, a fireplace and a plaque on which essential data about the tower and its architectural history are documented. The building has been protected since 1993 and

255-643: Was formed by volcanic activity during the Permian , in the transition period between the lower and upper Rotliegend strata. The name Donnersberg is thought to refer to Donar , the Germanic god of thunder, a theory supported by the fact that the Romans dubbed the Donnersberg Mons Jovis after their god of thunder, Jupiter . According to other theories, the name of the mountain was derived from

272-481: Was proposed by Karl Albrecht von Ritter, the chairman of the PWV at the time; it was named after Prince Luitpold of Bavaria . In 1908 construction on the tower began and it was inaugurated on 26 September 1909. The costs came to around 23,000 gold marks, which corresponds to a sum of about €250,000 in 2000. The payment of this amount was concluded in 1911 by the Palatine Forest Club. The Luitpold Tower

289-411: Was thoroughly renovated in 2000 and 2001. This entailed improving the structural geometry of the tower and adding a concrete ceiling to the viewing platform. There was also no way round a modification to the iron spiral staircase and a renewal of the roof. The overall cost came to €230,000, almost the same amount originally needed for the construction of the tower. Upon completion of these renovations,

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