The Rheinturm (; 'Rhine Tower') is a concrete
telecommunications tower
Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the tallest human-made ...
in
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...
, capital of the
federal state (''Bundesland'') of
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia (german: Nordrhein-Westfalen, ; li, Noordrien-Wesfale ; nds, Noordrhien-Westfalen; ksh, Noodrhing-Wäßßfaale), commonly shortened to NRW (), is a state (''Land'') in Western Germany. With more than 18 million inha ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
. Construction commenced in 1979 and finished in 1981. The Rheinturm carries aerials for directional radio, FM and TV transmitters. It stands 172.5 metres high and houses a
revolving restaurant
A revolving restaurant or rotating restaurant is usually a tower restaurant eating space designed to rest atop a broad circular revolving platform that operates as a large turntable. The building remains stationary and the diners are carried on ...
and an
observation deck
An observation deck, observation platform, or viewing platform is an elevated sightseeing platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure, such as a skyscraper or observation tower. Observation decks are sometimes enclo ...
at a height of 168 metres. It is the tallest building in Düsseldorf.
The Rheinturm was inaugurated on 1 December 1981.
[Müller, Wegener, Wöstemeyer: ''Rheinturm Düsseldorf'', p. 18] It contains 7,500 cubic metres of
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...
and weighs 22,500 tons. Before October 15, 2004, when an aerial antenna for
DVB-T
DVB-T, short for Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial, is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in Singapore in Feb ...
was mounted, it was 234.2 metres high.
The observation deck is open to public daily from 10:00 to 23:30. As a special attraction, a light sculpture on its shaft works as a clock. This sculpture was designed by
Horst H. Baumann and is called ' (light time level). The light sculpture on the Rheinturm is the largest
digital clock
A digital clock is a type of clock that displays the time digitally (i.e. in numerals or other symbols), as opposed to an analogue clock.
Digital clocks are often associated with electronic drives, but the "digital" description refers only t ...
in the world.
Gallery
File:Blick vom Rheinturm auf Düsseldorf.jpg, View from the Rheinturm looking down onto Stadtmitte
File:Rheinturm Düsseldorf NRW mit Sternschnuppe.jpg, Rheinturm Düsseldorf 70th Anniversary of the state NRW Illumination with Rhine Comet
File:Rheinturm uhrzeit.jpg, The Rheinturm displaying the time. The number of dots represents the Hour, Minutes, and Seconds as shown in the image above
File:View on Düsseldorf from Rheinturm.jpg, View from the Rheinturm looking down onto Bürger Park
See also
*
List of tallest structures in Germany
This is a list of Germany's tallest structures, containing all types of structures. Please correct and expand this list.
Various other wind turbines reach at least 200 m tip height (list will not be updated completely as regards more recent win ...
*
List of tallest structures in Europe
This is a list of the tallest structures of any kind which exist or existed in Europe. The list contains all types of structures, including guyed masts and oil drilling platforms of 350 metres (1,150 feet) or more.
Sortable list
History
T ...
*
List of tallest towers in the world
Several extant building fulfill the engineering definition of a tower: "a tall human structure, always taller than it is wide, for public or regular operational access by humans, but not for living in or office work, and are ''self-supporting ...
References
External links
360° interactive panoramaRheinturm Restaurants QOMO and M 168
, Centro Hotels Group
*
time lapse of tower and clock at new years fire work
Literature
* Klaus Müller, Hermann Wegener, Heinz-Gerd Wöstemeyer: ''Rheinturm Düsseldorf: Daten und Fakten'' Triltsch Verlag, Düsseldorf 1990, .
* Roland Kanz: ''Architekturführer Düsseldorf.'' Dietrich Riemer Verlag, Berlin 2001, , S. 81.
* Klaus Englert: ''… in die Jahre gekommen. Der Rheinturm in Düsseldorf.'' In ''db Deutsche Bauzeitung'' 141, 2007, Nr.6, S. 85–88, ISSN 0721-1902.
* Erwin Heinle, Fritz Leonhardt
Fritz Leonhardt (12 July 1909 – 30 December 1999) was a German structural engineer who made major contributions to 20th-century bridge engineering, especially in the development of cable-stayed bridges. His book ''Bridges: Aesthetics and Design ...
: ''Türme aller Zeiten, aller Kulturen.'' Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 1997, , S. 235.
{{Authority control
Towers completed in 1981
Buildings and structures in Düsseldorf
Towers with revolving restaurants
Tourist attractions in Düsseldorf
Communication towers in Germany
Observation towers
1981 establishments in West Germany