The Observation Tower

In the late 19th century, in 1895, in the time of mayor Ernest Melcher, a tower was built in honour of soldier fallen during the Prussian wars with Denmark in 1864, with Austria in 1866, and with France in the years 1870-1871. Until 1945, there were four plaques at the foot of the tower – three of granite and one of cast-iron – with the names of people who were killed during those wars. In 1945, the plaques were destroyed.

The building is 14 metres tall and has a cylindrical form topped with a viewing gallery from which spreads a panorama of the town and its surroundings – among other objects, the Czcibór Mountain, where the monument of “Polish Victory on the Oder River” is located, can be seen. Due to the view spreading from the top, the tower was used as an observation point in February 1945 by the Soviet army. After the end of the Second World War, until 1956, the building was used by Wojska Ochrony Pogranicza [the Frontier Protection Troops]. In the second half of the 1950s, the tower was refurbished and made available to tourists. The building was also renovated in the 1980s.

The tower was built of granite blocks and semi-clinker brick. The viewing terrace serves at the same time as a roof. Inside, we can find a ceramic floor and spiral stairs based on a steel core. The stairs are made of wood. The tower was built on a circular plan; the cubature of the building amounts to 130 cubic metres.

The area around the tower is covered densely with trees – chiefly with oaks and lindens. There are benches located along a path paved with flagstone. Owing to its location, the tower is one of the characteristic places of Cedynia. Visible over the town, it is very popular with locals and tourists. The building was entered into the provincial register of historic monuments relatively late – in December 2005.