Chinesischer Turm, Munich

The Chinesischer Turm is a wooden pagoda tower rising among the trees of the Englischer Garten. Its unusual shape narrows upward, with a separate shingled roof at each level and small bells suspended at the corners inside. The tower stands about 25 metres high and contains five floors; Joseph Frey supplied the design, and construction took place from 1789 to 1790.

It opened to the public in 1792 as an observation platform, but the surrounding trees have since grown beyond its viewing height. The tower burned during an air raid in 1944 and returned in a reconstruction completed in 1952 by Franz Zell. Public access has been restricted since the 1970s, while the musicians who perform here may still climb inside.

Near the tower, the reconstructed carousel adds another layer of history: its carved wooden figures include animals, coaches, wagons and sleds, and its music comes from mechanical instruments. The most distinctive annual gathering here is the Kocherlball, revived in 1989 and held on the third Sunday of July. It grew from a custom in which cooks, maids and servants met here to dance before work. This tower remains a landmark of the Englischer Garten, combining theatrical timber architecture with music, dancing and everyday leisure.