TK Elevator Test Tower Rottweil

You can see it from the A 81 motorway: a slender, spirally twisted tower rising high above Rottweil, the oldest town in Baden-Württemberg. The TK Elevator Test Tower is 246 m tall and is really a test facility for high-speed lifts. At the very top, though, at 232 m, is Germany's highest public viewing platform. In ideal weather you can see as far as the Rinderhorn in the Bernese Alps, some 210 km away.

History: a tower that divided the town

Thyssenkrupp was looking for a test-tower site not too far from its plant in Neuhausen near Stuttgart. When the Neckar valley proved geologically unsuitable, it chose the Berner Feld industrial estate, about one and a half kilometres north of the old town. Rottweil debated fiercely whether the tower would spoil its historic skyline, and a balloon was flown to show the planned height. The town council said yes, hoping for tourists.

The tower was designed by the architects Helmut Jahn and Werner Sobek and built between 2014 and 2017 using slipforming, growing by up to 5.6 m a day. Testing began in December 2016 and the platform opened on 7 October 2017. In its first full year almost 210,000 people visited.

What to see

• The platform: A glazed, covered room of 125 m² with an open terrace around it, giving a 360-degree view over the Black Forest, the Swabian Jura and, when clear, the Alps. Digital information points shaped like binoculars explain what you are looking at.
• The skin: The concrete shaft is wrapped in a glass-fibre fabric membrane that winds round the tower like a spiral, making it the tallest textile-clad building in the world.
• The technology: Twelve shafts with a total of 2.1 km of test track run through the core. A huge pendulum inside can make the tower sway to simulate wind loads, a world first.
• Neckarline: Since 23 April 2026, a 606 m pedestrian suspension bridge up to 60 m high has linked the Berner Feld with the old town.

Opening hours and prices (as of October 2026)

• Opening hours: Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays 10:00–18:00. During the summer holidays (1 July to 13 September) and autumn holidays (6 October to 1 November) also on weekdays, closed Mondays. Last ascent 30 minutes before closing.
• Admission: adults €12.50, children aged 6 to 15 €8, up to 5 free, families €35. On your birthday you go up free.
• Tickets: online or at the ticket desk; no reservations. Expect queues on fine days, as each lift trip takes about 15 people.

Backpacks, pushchairs, tripods and dogs are not allowed at the top. The platform itself is step-free. Allow one to two hours for queuing, the ride and the view.

Getting there

The tower stands at the western edge of the Berner Feld business park north of central Rottweil. Paid visitor parking is just north of the tower. If you park in the old town, since 2026 you can walk over on the Neckarline bridge.

Tripto tip

Check the forecast before you go: Alpine views are most likely in föhn conditions or crisp autumn air, while in haze you may barely see the Swabian Jura. There are no refunds for poor visibility. Afterwards, leave time for Rottweil old town, whose towers you will already have spotted from above.