This list ranks the tallest buildings in the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

(EU) that stand at least tall, based on standard height measurement. This means that

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spire ...

s and other architectural details are included in the official height, but not antenna masts, as it is defined by the

Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) is an international body in the field of tall buildings, including skyscrapers, and Sustainable design, sustainable urban design. A non-profit organization based at the Monroe Building in ...

. Only habitable buildings are ranked, which excludes

radio masts and towers Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antenna (radio), antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the ...

observation tower An observation tower is a tower used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and woo ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

s, steeples,

chimney A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typical ...

s and other tall architectural structures. Tall buildings are relatively rare within the EU compared to other regions of the world that have the know-how and capital to build skyscrapers. Only a few cities in the EU have a notable number of high-rises, best known are: Frankfurt, Warsaw, Madrid and Paris. Most skyscrapers in Europe can be found outside of the EU, notably in three cities:

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

and

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. As a result, out of the top 500 of tallest buildings in the world –as of 2024– only one is located in the EU. Since 22 February 2021 the tallest building in the EU has been the Varso Tower in Warsaw, Poland, which is tall.

Existing buildings

This list includes buildings under construction that have already been architecturally

topped out In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed at the top of a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is ofte ...

. Architectural height is considered, so masts and other elements added after completion of building are not considered.

Buildings by pinnacle height

Some skyscraper enthusiasts prefer this measurement, claiming that the extensions that can or cannot be deemed "architectural" are subjective. However, many non-architectural extensions (such as radio antennas) are easily added and removed from tall buildings without significantly changing the style and design of the building, which is seen as a significant part of the value of these buildings. The list includes all skyscrapers of at least tall. However the height data is subject to fluctuations due to simple changing of mast extensions. This list includes buildings under construction that have already been architecturally topped out.

Buildings under construction

This lists buildings that are under construction in European Union and are planned to rise at least . Approved or proposed buildings are not included in the table. Included are renders of the finished towers or images of the current construction sites.

Timeline of the tallest buildings in the EU/EEC

The following is a timeline of the tallest buildings in the European Union (EU) and its direct predecessor, the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

(EEC) established in 1957. Prior to 1966,

Edificio España The Hotel Riu Plaza España is a historic skyscraper, the 8th tallest building in Madrid, Spain. It opened in 1953 as the Edificio España (), a mixed-use structure containing a hotel, offices, apartments and shops. It is an example of 20th-centur ...

and Torre de Madrid in Madrid surpassed the height of the then tallest EU building, but Spain didn't become a European Union member until 1986. Similarly, before 1990, the

Palace of Culture and Science The Palace of Culture and Science (; abbreviated ''PKiN'') is a notable high-rise building in central Warsaw, Poland. With a total height of , it is the second tallest building in both Warsaw and Poland (after the Varso Tower), the sixth talle ...

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

surpassed the height of the then tallest EU building; however, Poland did not become a member of the European Union until 2004. The Shard ceased to be tallest building in the EU in 2020 due to the United Kingdom exiting the European Union. The title then returned to the previous holder, Frankfurt's Commerzbank Tower. Had this not been the case, the Shard would've still lost the title a few months later to Warsaw's Varso Tower regardless.

Footnotes and references

Bibliography

Skyscrapers
at

Emporis Emporis was a real estate data mining company with headquarters in Hamburg, Germany. The company collected data and photographs of buildings worldwide, which were published in an online database from 2000 to September 2022. Emporis was acquired ...

Skyscrapers
at

SkyscraperPage SkyscraperPage is a website for skyscraper hobbyists and enthusiasts that tracks existing and proposed skyscrapers around the world. The site is owned by Skyscraper Source Media, a supplier of skyscraper diagrams for the publication, marketing, an ...

Skyscrapers
at

Structurae Structurae is an online database containing pictures and information about structural engineering, structural and civil engineering works, and their associated engineers, architects, and builders. Overview Structurae was founded in 1998 by Nico ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:List of Tallest Buildings in the European Union All articles with unsourced statements European Union-related lists

Existing buildings

Buildings by pinnacle height

Buildings under construction

Timeline of the tallest buildings in the EU/EEC

See also

Footnotes and references

Bibliography