Berlin’s oldest secular building
Those who climb the 153 steps to the top level of the Julius Tower are rewarded with an impressive view. The fortifications and the course of the Havel River can be seen excellently from here.
The defense and watchtower was built at the beginning of the 13th century as part of the margravial castle. When the citadel was built in the 16th century, the Julius Tower and the Palas were preserved as symbols of power of the old castle. Since then, the tower has undergone several reconstructions: The neo-Gothic battlement, for example, dates from 1836 and is based on a design by Karl Friedrich Schinkel.
The safe door through which visitors enter the tower is a reminder of the so-called Imperial War Treasure (Reichskriegsschatz). This was stored behind the 3.60 meter thick walls after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71. This gave rise to the idiom of referring to surpluses in the federal budget as the “Julius Tower”. Why the tower is called Julius in the first place has not been conclusively clarified to this day.
Tower ascents are possible during the opening hours of the citadel with admittance 365 days in a year. Except during black ice and storms!
