Each city has its own zest,landmark, which is proud of the whole country. In the German capital, this is the Berlin TV Tower. Today they call it the “icon” of Berlin. From the height of the object offers an unrivaled panorama of the city. Statistics show that this landmark is the highest artificial point of the state. The television tower from the first days of its appearance has become a symbol of the capital of Germany. And she justified her success.
The history of the popular object
Berlin TV tower was put into operationin early October 1969. But this event was preceded by a long story. It was decided to build such a structure back in the 1950s. The design was supposed to stand on the mountains Muggelberg. Adjacent to this area was the airport Berlin-Schönefeld, so the construction robots were suspended, because the high structure could be a danger to the flying aircraft.
In 1964, Walter Ulbricht proposed to buildtelevision tower on Alexanderplatz square (Berlin, Mitte). The project of the future facility was developed by Herman Hanselmann, Gunter Franke and Fritz Dieter. In early August 1965, the construction of the sights began. Gerhard Kozel was the construction manager, but soon after the start of the campaign, he was fired. They explained Kozel’s removal from office by the fact that he spent 200 million marks on the construction site, which is six times the amount of the planned budget.
Materials were used to create the tower.German production. The only exceptions were cables, elevators and air conditioning. All this was mounted by a company from Sweden. A separate item of expenditure was the protective glass ordered in the Netherlands.
The entire construction of Berlin’s pride took four years, and the tower was commissioned on October 3, 1969.
Three design names
Берлинская телебашня имеет три названия."Place of the Pope" locals call it when the ball is illuminated by the construction of the sun. At this moment an image of a cross is formed on it. With this title, the Germans hint at the discrimination of the church in the GDR and the atheistic views of socialist society.
Also, Berliners call the construction of the church of St.. Walter - in honor of Walter Ulbricht. Ulbricht Memorial Church - the third name of the tower, which arose after the death of Ulbricht.
How was the attraction built?
Berlin (Mitte - the most prestigious areamegapolis) - the city in which the landmark of the same name is located. Expensive objects should be located in fashionable districts. This is the center of the village. The tower is the highest structure in the country and is one of the four highest structures on the planet. Only Moscow, Kiev and Riga TV towers are ahead of it in height.
The height of the television tower in Berlin reaches 368 meters.The object pipe was poured with concrete, using a sliding formwork. The skeleton of the ball was collected on the ground, then a crane was mounted on the top of the pipe and the ball was lifted and assembled in fragments. At the top of the structure, this crane is still to this day, only today its arrow is lowered. A rotating ball makes a complete turn in 30 minutes. It houses an observation deck.
Smaller crane used and in orderto mount the antenna. She also collected in parts, the length of each of which was four meters. The antenna has a length of 118 meters. With a strong wind, it deviates by 80 cm from its axis. In winter, it is sometimes heated with electricity to prevent icing.
The tower has two elevators and 986 steps, and also has a restaurant, a spire and a floor with a panorama.
Visiting the tower
Every day the Berlin TV Tower receives thousands of tourists. The ticket costs 13-23 euros depending on its type. The choice of guests are invited to buy one of the four provided ticket options:
- “Lark” - see this passAttraction is possible at nine in the morning from March to October and at ten in the morning from November to February. Child ticket is 8.5 euros, and adult - 13 euros.
- "Night owl" - a ticket giving the right to inspect the tower from 21.30 to 23.00. This option will cost as much as the previous one.
- "Speed inspection" - this fare allows you to reserve a ticket for a specific date and go on a tour without a queue. The pass price for children is 12 euros, for adults - 19.5 euros.
- “VIP-person” is the most expensive, but the best pass: it allows not only to inspect the object, but also gives privileges in the Sphere restaurant.
Interesting about the tower
The television tower in the German capital is owned by Deutsche Telekom.
In the 1970s, a garden with flower beds was set up at its foot in a free square. Also there they planted ornamental trees and pitched pink parterres.
When in 2006 the World Cup was held, the ball on the tower was decorated with red foil. Thus, it turned out a giant soccer ball.
