wachttoren

Wachttoren is the Dutch term for a watchtower, a tall structure built to provide an elevated vantage point for surveillance, signaling, or defense. Watchtowers have appeared in many contexts, from medieval fortifications and border outposts to coastlines, forests, or industrial sites. The word combines wach(t) 'to watch' and toren 'tower'.

Architectural designs vary by era and function. Common features include a tall, slender body, small windows or arrow slits, a viewing platform at or near the top, and internal stairs or ladders. Materials range from durable stone or brick in fortifications to timber in later or remote constructions. Signaling methods such as beacons, lanterns, flags, or bells were used to communicate with allied outposts.

Today, many watchtowers survive as historical monuments or are incorporated into castles, city walls, or coastal defenses. Some have been restored and repurposed as museums, viewpoints, or park features. The term is also used in modern contexts for tall towers used in telecommunications, though those are not watchtowers in the traditional sense.

In Dutch-language publishing, De Wachttoren is the Dutch title of the magazine The Watchtower, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses. The term wachttoren can therefore refer to either the architectural structure or, in context, to this publication.