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Damage to the tower had been noted as early as 1906, when the Vosges Club and
Beautification Association recorded fire damage to the column (burnt bricks on the observation deck) and rust on the iron staircase. Renovations were carried out intermittently until early 1914. The tower was effectively
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Construction works were carried out by the firm Haase & Schott from Metz. The exterior of the tower is made out of limestone. There is a sandstone relief of
Bismarck on the side of the tower facing the town, now riddled with bullet holes. At the top of the tower was a large square brazier upon
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The construction of a
Bismarck tower in or around Metz was first proposed in the winter of 1898-1899 by one Lieutenant-Colonel Winterfeld, whose unit was then stationed in the area. Donations were solicited by a special committee, and on 1 April 1901 (Bismarck's birthday) the foundation stone was
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Although officially closed since 2001, tourists may still visit the tower. The structure is currently in need of restoration. More than a century of weathering, wartime damage, and graffiti have taken their toll on the exterior; as of August 2012 it is in a semi-ruined state, covered by dense
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laid down. For security reasons (as a border town, Metz was one of the most fortified cities in
Germany), the tower was not allowed to be constructed at the summit of Mont Saint-Quentin, but rather on its southeastern slope.
216:. Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France in 1919. That same year the French authorities removed the brazier from the tower. It was also around this time that the relief of Bismarck was defaced.
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The tower was inaugurated exactly one year later, on 1 April 1902, attended by various military and civilian leaders. At 8 pm that same evening, the first fire was lit on the tower.
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The Metz
Bismarck Tower is 13.5 metres (44 ft) tall, and is one of the first Bismarck towers to be built in the
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After the tower was opened, there was a proposal by the local newspaper, the
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French troops reoccupied Metz in
November 1918, after the German defeat in
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abandoned after French sovereignty was restored to the region.
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The only
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which fires could be lit on certain festive occasions.
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