The Joseph Cross (German: ''Josephskreuz'') is an

observation Observation in the natural sciences is an act or instance of noticing or perceiving and the acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the percep ...

tower in form of a double cross on the 580-metre-high

Großer Auerberg The Große Auerberg is a hill, high, in the eastern Harz in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is a so-called double peak with summits that are 580.4 metres high (''Großer Auerberg'') and 580.3 ...

near Stolberg (

Harz The Harz (), also called the Harz Mountains, is a highland area in northern Germany. It has the highest elevations for that region, and its rugged terrain extends across parts of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. The name ''Harz'' der ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. The Joseph Cross is a steel framework construction with a height of and a weight of , which was built between 20 April 1896 and 9 August 1896. The Joseph Cross was closed for visitors from 1987 to 1990, before being refurbished and reopened.

History

In the 17th century there was a timber-framed observation tower on the Auerberg that was demolished in 1768 due to disrepair and weather damage. In 1832, Count Joseph of Stolberg-Stolberg commissioned the Berlin architect

Karl Friedrich Schinkel Karl Friedrich Schinkel (13 March 1781 – 9 October 1841) was a Prussian architect, urban planning, city planner and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed b ...

to design a new tower, which a carpenter from Stolberg carried out. The topping out ceremony of Schinkel's wooden tower, built in the form of a double cross, was celebrated on 24 September 1833. On 21 June 1834, the tower was officially opened and named the "Joseph Cross" after its client.The "s" in the German name "Josephskreuz" is a link letter, not a possessive. Hence the translation "Joseph Cross", not "Joseph's Cross". The tower had no steps and could only be climbed by a ladder. In 1850 the cross-arms had to be renewed. In June 1880, the building was destroyed by

lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...

during a thunderstorm. Construction of a new Joseph Cross, designed by Otto Beißwänger, began on 20 April 1896. The tower took its shape of a double-cross from the original by Schinkel, but was, however, designed along the lines of Paris'

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

as a steel-framed structure, even components such as the arches between the legs being copied. The cost of 50,000 marks was born by the

House of Stolberg The House of Stolberg is an old and large German dynasty of the former Holy Roman Empire's Uradel, high aristocracy (''German nobility#Hochadel, Hoher Adel''). Members of the family held the title of ''Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, Fürst'' an ...

and the

Harz Club The Harz Club () is club dedicated to maintaining the traditions of the Harz mountains in Germany and looking after the walking trails in the Harz. It was founded in 1886 in Seesen and as of 2022 the club has about 16,000 members in approximately ...

. On 9 August 1896 the new Joseph Cross was inaugurated. In the 20th century, the cross fell into ruin until it was closed to visitors in 1987 due its state of disrepair. In 1989 renovation was started and it was reopened on 28 August 1990.

Gallery

File:2007-04_Josephskreuz_01.jpg File:The Joseph Cross - P9220508.jpg File:Josephskreuz P9220524.jpg, Top of the cross File:The Joseph Cross - P9220481.jpg, Steps to the observation platform

Notes

External links

*
Joseph's Cross
a
Skyscraperpage.com
{{coord, 51, 34, 50, N, 11, 00, 20, E, type:landmark_region:DE-ST, display=title Buildings and structures in the Harz Observation towers in Saxony-Anhalt Towers completed in 1896 Karl Friedrich Schinkel buildings

History

Gallery

See also

Notes

External links