Fuchstower (Kirchberg Castle)

The castle is the historic ancestral seat of the still flourishing knightly family von Jena, first mentioned in documents in 1145. Their family crest shows a standing fox with a bunch of grapes in its mouth. Their ancestors served as ministerials in the service of the Counts of Kirchberg. The castle fell in 1304 with the lineage of the Counts of Kirchberg during an attack by the city alliance of Erfurt, Nordhausen, Mühlhausen, and Landgrave Albrecht. The castle complex was largely destroyed; only the keep remained standing at that time. Due to a fundamental repair in the 16th century, the substance of the tower could be saved. In 1784, a footpath to the tower, a staircase, and a roof were created to enable Johann Ernst Basilius Wiedeburg to make astronomical observations from the tower. The tower soon became a popular hiking destination. Since the early 19th century, the right to serve drinks for the tower room has been attested. In 1842, a miners' guild was founded, and in 1861, the Fuchsturmgesellschaft, which maintained the tower. In 1868, the Fuchsturmhaus was built next to the tower, which, expanded several times, still houses a restaurant today. On September 27, 1905, the wooden interior and superstructure of the tower burned down after a lightning strike. A year later, a new staircase and tower cap could be inaugurated. In 1913, the tower became the property of the city of Jena. In 1925, the tower and its foundations were extensively renovated. Towards the end of World War II, the air raid protection authorities became aware of the tower. It was feared that Allied bomber crews could use the striking structure as a landmark for attacks on Jena (the city was considered highly endangered and was the only air raid shelter of the 1st order in Thuringia). Therefore, in June 1944, the cap was dismantled, and the masonry tower body was camouflaged with branches, but later preparations for demolition were made. This could not take place as planned, as two members of the Fuchsturmgesellschaft (Fuchsturm innkeeper Willi Lemser and Dr.