Fernsehturm Stuttgart ( en, Stuttgart TV Tower) is a telecommunications tower in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

, Germany. It was the first telecommunications tower in the world constructed from

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having hig ...

, and it is the prototype for many such towers worldwide. Although controversial at first, it quickly became a well known

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...

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. From the observation decks there is a view of Stuttgart, from the forests and vineyards in and around Stuttgart to the

Swabian Jura The Swabian Jura (german: Schwäbische Alb , more rarely ), sometimes also named Swabian Alps in English, is a mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, extending from southwest to northeast and in width. It is named after the region of ...

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). It was part of the German state visit of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in May 1965. The tower reached its current height of after the antenna was extended from October 1965 to December 1965.

Specifications

* Engineer: Fritz Leonhardt * Altitude: Foot of tower above sea level * Overall height to the antenna point: * Height of upper observation deck: * Height of lower observation deck: * Diameter of foundation: * Total weight of tower: approximately 3,000 tons * Weight of foundation: approximately 1,500 tons * Speed of elevators: * Panorama Café on a platform of the tower basket * Maximum diameter of tower basket:

Broadcasting

The tower is still known as ''Fernsehturm'' but today only broadcasts several public

FM radio FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM). Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is cap ...

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 Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce the destruction caused by fire. Fire safety measures include those that are intended to prevent the ignition of an uncontrolled fire and those that are used to limit the development and eff ...

regulations. The tower was reopened on 30 January 2016 with a refurbished entrance, shop area and new, optimised fire safety precautions.

Gallery

Stuttgart TV tower at night.jpg, Fernsehturm Stuttgart after dark Fernsehturm stuttgart plaque.jpg, Commemorative plaque at the tower's base Fundamentfuss-Stuttgarter-Fernsehturm.png, Foundation of Fernsehturm Stuttgart Informationstafel Fernsehturm Stuttgart26082018.png, Stations transmitted from the tower Stuttgarter Fernsehturm en.svg, Tower basket Fernsehturm Stuttgart and Full Moon Summer 2013 06.jpg, The tower in 2013, without interior illumination due to the closure to the general public. StuttgartTVTowerObservationDeck.jpg, Observation deck

References

External links

TV tower Stuttgart

Satellite Image
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Stuttgart Communication towers in Germany Observation towers in Baden-Württemberg Radio masts and towers in Germany Towers completed in 1956 Tourist attractions in Stuttgart Observation towers Restaurant towers 1956 establishments in West Germany