Three Dead After Fall from Harzturm – Cause Still Unclear

Investigation into the Cause

Numerous rescue workers and police officers were dispatched to the scene. The district's crisis intervention team is also deployed. The emergency services cordoned off the scene and erected privacy screens.

The observation tower in question is the Harzturm in Torfhaus in the municipality of Altenau (Goslar district). According to the operator, it is said to be the highest observation tower in Germany at 65 meters.

The Harzturm in Numbers

According to the operator, the Harzturm is the highest German observation tower in wood-steel construction. The facility offers two observation platforms and a "Skywalk" with a glass floor at a height of 45 meters. The ascent is possible on foot via stairs and by elevator; coming down, options include a 110-meter-long slide. A restaurant and a souvenir shop are also located in the tower building.

The roughly ten million euro structure was officially inaugurated on November 1, 2024, with the tower officially opened on November 1, 2024 by Lower Saxony's then Minister-President Stephan Weil (SPD). The state and federal government supported the project with approximately 1.4 million euros.

From Groundbreaking to Opening

The tower was opened to the public in 2024. The groundbreaking for the tower took place in May 2021. The state and federal government supported it with approximately 1.4 million euros.

According to the operator, the completion of the tower was delayed several times, which was attributed to the Corona pandemic, the war against Ukraine, and the energy crisis. Not all areas of the tower were fully usable until after the opening in November 2024.

Three people died in a fall from an observation tower in Germany's Harz mountains. Three people fell from the 65-meter-high Harzturm in the Harz mountains on Wednesday afternoon and lost their lives.