Schläferskopf

The Schläferskopf is a hill in Hesse, Germany, which is 454 metres high.

In 1883, a 10-metre-high, wooden viewing tower was built on the summit of the Schläferskopf; it fell into disrepair and was demolished in 1900. In 1905, on the initiative of the Wiesbaden Conservation Society, work on a 31-metre-high tower was begun and, in July 1906, the new Kaiser Wilhelm Turm was opened. It was made from local rubble stone and basalt lava with a room for "refuge and refreshing". Typical of the period it was designed to resemble a medieval fighting tower or bergfried. The watchtower turret on the polygonal platform reinforces the impression. One unusual feature is the double spiral staircase which enables a separation between "up" and "down" stairs.