The Schlossbergturm or Castle Hill Tower is a 35 m high observation tower on Castle Hill Schlossberg on the edge of the historic Altstadt of Freiburg im Breisgau. It has 153 steps, its top is located 463 m above sea level and thus 185 m above the average altitude of the city (278 m). The tower's twisted design includes six tree trunks (Douglas-firs from the municipal forest of Freiburg) around a staircase made of steel. It has three platforms and the top is reached by a small spiral staircase. The tower offers a panoramic view of Freiburg and its surroundings.
The tower is built on the grounds of the Fort de l'Aigle von Auban, also known locally as "Salzbüchsle", which are a continuation of the Black Forest into the city of Freiburg. It was designed by local Freiburg architect Hubert Horbach for the Kuratorium Freiburger Schlossberg, and built in 2002.[1]
It was funded in part by donations. For each donor a plaque with his or her name was attached to the vertical part of a step so that when climbing the tower one can read the names of the donors.
