Bismarck Column in Kirn

Bismarck Column A few days after the death of Otto von Bismarck in 1898, the city representatives of Kirn proposed the construction of a Bismarck column for the former Chancellor of the Reich. The design comes from the Dresden architect Wilhelm Kreis. Kreis won a competition of the German Student Union in 1899 with his design. According to an idea of the student union, a network of so-called fire columns was to be established throughout Germany to light large fire bowls in honor of Bismarck on certain days. The Bismarck column, modeled after Götterdämmerung, was built a total of 47 times as a so-called type building in the German Empire until 1911. The foundation stone for the Bismarck column in Kirn was laid on July 16, 1900. The Kirn contractor Albert Pfeiffer was commissioned with the execution. On May 12, 1901, the day of the inauguration, school children and Kirn associations marched to the Bismarck column. The inaugural speech was given by Mayor Bleeck. In the evening, the fire bowl was lit for the first time. The Bismarck column is 12 meters high. It has no viewing function. Inside the tower, there are only climbing irons to reach the fire bowl.