Observation towers in Switzerland

Observation towers are popular tourist attractions as they offer views near and far give us diverse insights into our cultural and natural landscape. After reaching the top, visitors are usually rewarded by a panoramic view spanning the horizon. Telescopes, differentiated panoramas or sophisticated “Alpine pointers” help identify nearby and, above all, more distant hills and mountain peaks along with their altitudes.
Observation towers are buildings that provide viewing facilities that are accessible to the public. They include observation towers which are not used for other any purpose, TV and water towers, church steeples, former medieval towers or high-rise buildings. Observation decks which were erected in the natural landscape such as on a mountain top or at the edge of a ravine – so-called “skyways/skywalks” – are not shown on the map. In Switzerland, there are currently 200 observation towers, built from all manner of materials such as wood, stone, concrete or metal, which are often combined.
The origins of observation towers date back to the Age of Enlightenment and the associated discovery of nature with it. Early German examples are well-known, such as the Melibokus Tower in the Odenwald, dating back to 1772, or the “Wartturm” (embattled tower) near Meschede, which was erected purely for the views in 1782 on behalf of Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Westphalen and is preserved today as a ruin. In addition to their practical function, the observation towers had sentimental value as monuments with representational and unique characters due to their mostly exposed position in the landscape. After the middle of the 19th century, this construction task in Germany transitioned from aristocratic clients to members of the public and was supported by associations and committees. These activities reached a climax during the Second Empire, from 1871 to 1918.
In the Alpine countries such as Switzerland, early walled towers are not known for simply providing a panoramic view – this development only began after the middle of the 19th century. The introduction of the statutory Sunday rest meant that leisure time was a new discovery for the population. The day trippers reached their starting points for Sunday hikes with the help of the gradually expanding railway connections. From 1876, for example, you could easily reach Bachtel, located over 1,100 metres above sea level, and climb up to the observation tower at the peak from Hinwil railway station. An inn was often built along with these wooden buildings to promote tourism at a time when the federal state was still in its infancy. Besides the local innkeepers, the main employers were the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC), founded in 1863, or one of its departments, a cooperative or a transport association. First-generation wooden constructions often existed only for a short time, which is thought to be due either to static-structural defects or the exposed location. After 1880, more stable steel frameworks replaced wooden constructions for the first time. The first example of this kind of construction is in the Randen mountain range in Schaffhausen.