Lüneburg's distinctive water tower, an Art Nouveau brick monolith finished in 1907, served the city's pressurised water supply until 1986 and was reopened to the public in 2000 as a viewing platform and small science museum. The exterior, with its reddish brick and decorative tile bands, is unmistakable from across the old town.
The lift goes most of the way up, then a short stair leads to the open viewing gallery 56 metres above ground. The view is the best in the city — the three big brick churches, the gabled square at Am Sande, the Stintmarkt and the Ilmenau, the meadows of the Lüneburger Heide stretching south, and on a clear day the Hamburg skyscrapers far to the north. There is a small café at the base. Modest entry fee.