Kiek in de Kök (0)

Usually translated as “peep in the kitchen”, although ‘look’, cf. German gucken or kucken, might be more appropriate. Said to derive from Low Saxon kijk in de keuken. Earliest recorded spelling (1577) was Kyck in de Kaeken. Explanations revolve around its uncommon height of 38 m setting it so far above neighboring houses’ chimneys that the guards could either see, at a stretch, straight down into the kitchens, or see what the enemy was cooking, their kitchens being furthest from the front. My personal suspicion, however, given later (and central to southern) German words such as Guckindiewelt (2^nd half 18^th C) and northern German variant Kiekindiewelt, curious child, Topfgucker, Nosy Parker, lit. saucepan peeker and, particularly, Guckfenster, Judas window, spyhole, peephole (recorded 16^th C), of which the tower has many, is that the name means just a small kitchen- or observation-window and the tower was named by metonymy. See also Kuldjala torn.

• Landmark