Fernsehturm Stuttgart

Fernsehturm Stuttgart
General information
Status Complete
Type Telecommunications
Observation tower
Architectural style Modernism
Location Jahnstraße 120
Stuttgart, Germany
Coordinates 48°45′24″N 9°11′29″E / 48.75667°N 9.19139°E / 48.75667; 9.19139Coordinates: 48°45′24″N 9°11′29″E / 48.75667°N 9.19139°E / 48.75667; 9.19139
Construction started 10 January 1954
Completed 5 February 1956
Renovated 1965
Cost 4.2 million DM
Owner Süddeutscher Rundfunk
Height
Antenna spire 216.61 m (710.7 ft)
Design and construction
Architect Heinle, Wischer and Partner
Engineer Fritz Leonhardt
Main contractor G. Epple
Wayss & Freytag
References
[1][2][3][4]

Fernsehturm Stuttgart (English: Stuttgart TV Tower) is a 216.61 m (710.7 ft) telecommunications tower in Stuttgart, Germany. It was the first telecommunications tower in the world constructed from reinforced concrete, and it is the prototype for many such towers world-wide. Although controversial at first, it quickly became a well known landmark of Stuttgart and a tourist attraction.

Location

The tower is located on the hill Hoher Bopser (elevation 483 meters) in the southern Stuttgart borough of Degerloch.[5] From the observation decks there is a view of Stuttgart, from the forests and vineyards in and around Stuttgart to the Swabian Jura and the Black Forest.

History

The tower's construction was controversial – critics opposed the new building method and its costs; a simple 200-meter antenna array would have cost just 200,000 DM. Construction began on 10 January 1954 and continued for 20 months. This made it the first telecom tower in the world built with reinforced concrete. The construction cost was 4.2 million DM. Revenues from visitors reached that sum within five years. The tower was placed in service on 5 February 1956 by Süddeutscher Rundfunk (today Südwestrundfunk – SWR).[5]

The tower reached its current height of 216.61 m (710.7 ft) after the antenna was extended from October 1965 to December 1965.

Specifications

Broadcasting

The tower is still known as Fernsehturm but today only broadcasts several public FM radio stations. Transmission of the ARD TV network's analogue service stopped in 2006. The digital television services have moved to nearby Fernmeldeturm Stuttgart, which also broadcasts private FM radio stations in the area.

Air traffic warning lights

The tower carries beside the conventional red air traffic warning lights three rotating xenon lamps similar to those used on lighthouses just above the observation deck.

Public access

On 27 March 2013 the tower was closed to the public because of a review of fire safety regulations.[6] The tower was reopened on 30 January 2016 with a refurbished entrance, shop area and new, optimised fire safety precautions.[5]

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ↑ Fernsehturm Stuttgart at CTBUH Skyscraper Database
  2. ↑ Fernsehturm Stuttgart at Emporis
  3. ↑ Fernsehturm Stuttgart at SkyscraperPage
  4. ↑ Fernsehturm Stuttgart at Structurae
  5. 1 2 3 Abele, Rüdiger (24 January 2016). "Da ergeht einem Hören und Sehen". Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (in German) (Technik & Motor). p. 58.
  6. ↑ "Opening Hours". Fernsehturm Stuttgart. Retrieved 16 May 2013.

Further reading

External links

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