If you want to get an overview of the city of Kaiserslautern, you can climb the Humbergturm tower on the southern edge of the city.
On 23 August 1896, committed Lauterer citizens founded the Humberg Association with the aim of organizing the construction and financing of the observation tower. At the first general meeting on September 14, 1896, Major Karl Mottes was elected 1st chairman. The founding members included the factory owner Pfaff, the print shop owner Rohr, the councillors of commerce Pfeiffer and Karcher and the malt producer Gelbert.
Construction began in October 1898. The tower, which had already grown to a height of ten meters, collapsed on 3 May 1899, presumably due to poor mortar. After reconstruction, the tower was inaugurated on September 2, 1900. The Humberg Association disbanded in March 1909. During the Second World War, the tower served as an air guard for an intelligence battalion. An octagonal sandstone superstructure and a new spire were added after the war. In 1963, the St. George's Scouts installed a brass orientation board on the viewing platform. It was renewed and added to in 1995.
The Humberg Tower was built according to the plans of architect Ludwig Ritter von Stempel. It is a monumental sandstone ashlar building with neo-Romanesque echoes, typical of the Wilhelmine period. The octagonal base is 8.65 meters high, the flight of steps in front has 33 steps and the spiral staircase inside the tower has 130 steps. The viewing platform is 28.16 meters above the ground. The total height of the tower is 35.77 meters. The tower stands on the top of the Humberg.
