Parnass Tower

The Parnaß-Turm is an observation tower on the summit of Parnaß hill, a terminal moraine near the town of Plön in Schleswig-Holstein. Made of steel lattice on a stone base, it rises twenty metres above the hilltop and eighty-five metres above sea level. The Plön Tourist Association built it in 1888 and restored it in 1985, turning it into a public viewing platform.

Three bronze panels on the stone base recall past conflicts. One shows an Iron Cross with Schleswig-Holstein’s coat of arms and the years 1848 and 1849, marking the First Schleswig War. Another bears a portrait relief of Emperor William I. The third panel carries an Iron Cross with a ‘W’ and the date 1870, commemorating the Franco-Prussian War.

Visitors climb to the top and find an open platform offering wide views across Plön and the surrounding lake country. The lattice structure lets the wind pass through while framing distant horizons. Below, the town’s rooftops and the green moraine slopes stretch out in every direction.