Germany

Berlin TV Tower

The TV tower is Berlin's most recognizable landmark, a symbol of the capital. It must be visited for three reasons: it is the tallest building in the capital; it offers stunning views of the city; upstairs there is a revolving restaurant for romantics.

Berlin TV Tower (Berliner Fernsehturm), photo by Arnaud Martinez

The Berlin TV Tower (Berliner Fernsehturm) is located in the very center of the city near Alexanderplatz. This is not only the tallest building in Germany, the TV tower is one of the four tallest structures in Europe after the Ostankino TV tower (540 m), Kiev (385 m) and Riga (368.5 m). The height of the Berlin TV tower is 368 meters.

Building

Its construction was started on August 4, 1965. It soon became clear that the construction would require 200 million marks, which is 6 times the planned amount, so the head and chief ideologist of the construction, Heinrich Kozel, was removed.

TV Tower - a visiting card of Berlin, photo by Jean Claude Castor

The TV tower pipe was poured with concrete using a sliding formwork. The skeleton of the ball was assembled on the ground, and then with the help of a crane installed on top of the pipe, they were lifted up by fragments and mounted. This boom-down crane is still at the top of the structure.

To install the antenna, a crane was also used, but of a smaller size, which was lifted onto the antenna itself and, using overall elements of 4 meters, mounted it. The length of the antenna reaches 118 meters. It is designed in such a way that when a strong wind deviates from its axis by a maximum of 80 cm. In winter cold, to prevent icing of the antenna, it is sometimes heated with electricity.

The construction of the Berlin TV tower took 4 years. It was inaugurated on October 3, 1969.

Daddy's revenge

Cross on the spherical part of the tower, photo by Marc Wohlzufrieden

Interestingly, when the rays of the sun fall on the spherical part of the tower, made of stainless steel, an image of the cross appears. The townspeople called this phenomenon "Pope’s revenge", hinting that the rights of the church in the GDR are significantly infringed, and the ideology of atheism prevails among the representatives of the socialist authorities. In connection with this phenomenon, the tower architect had to give explanations to the state security organs of Germany.

See Berlin

Bar "Bar 203", restaurant "Sphere" and an observation deck, photo by Dirk A.

The Berlin TV Tower is open to the public and receives up to a million tourists every year. At an altitude of 203 m there is an observation deck and the highest bar "Bar 203". Higher at 4 m is the restaurant "Sphere", which makes a full turn within half an hour. Here you combine excellent cuisine with stunning views of Berlin.

The tower is visible from everywhere
Tower night lights
The spherical part of the tower

Working hours

The TV tower is open daily:
from March to October 09:00 - 0:00,
from November to February 10:00 - 0:00.

Tickets

Full - € 13,
children 4-16 years old - € 8.50.

Having bought a ticket at the box office does not mean that you will immediately go up to the tower. Usually there are a lot of people. Therefore, there is an SMS alert. SMS will be sent to you in 30 minutes, then you can safely go to the tower.

I advise you to purchase tickets online on the official website or on the spot in the machine.

There are 4 types of tickets (cost from € 13 to € 23):
- early bird from the opening,
- night owl (Late Night) from 21:30 to 23:00,
- speed inspection (Fast View),
- VIP.
See the current ticket prices on the website.

TV tower near Alexanderplatz Bahnhof, photo Theocharis Kalamaras

How to get there

Take the U2, U5, U8 metro lines, the S5, S7, S75 train, the M4, M5, M6 tram, the 248, 100, 200, M4, M48, N5, N65, TXL buses to the Alexanderplatz stop.

How do I save on hotels?

Everything is very simple - look not only at the booking. I prefer the search engine RoomGuru. He is looking for discounts at the same time on Booking and on 70 other booking sites.

Watch the video: Inside BERLIN TV TOWER (November 2024).

Popular Posts

Category Germany, Next Article

Altar of the Fatherland (Vittoriano) in Rome
Rome

Altar of the Fatherland (Vittoriano) in Rome

Altar of the Fatherland (Altare della Patria) or Vittoriano (Il Vittoriano) - a memorial dedicated to the first king of a united Italy, was erected on the anniversary of the unification of Italy by architect J. Sakonni and is located near the main Roman attraction - the Colosseum. The first opening of the monument of memory made of white limestone took place in 1911 after 26 years of construction.
Read More
Graffiti in Rome
Rome

Graffiti in Rome

The areas of Garbatella and Ostiense present visitors to the Roman underground culture. Even without being an expert or expert in the field of art, local street art can hardly be underestimated. Walking through the streets of Garbatella, you will see the works of modern street graffiti artists Blu (on Via del Porto Fluviale) and Borondo, “Wall of Fame” by Roman artist JB Rock (on Via dei Magazzini Generali), which is red a 60-meter-long wall on which he portrayed his idols (including Jimmy Hendrix, Barack Obama, Uma Thurman, Frida Kale, Yoko Ono) The Black and White power of the magnificent Lex and Stan (Lex & Sten) (on Via dei Magazzini Generali), illustrations by Agostino Iacurci (on Via Libetta) and many others.
Read More
Grand Circus (Circo Massimo) in Rome
Rome

Grand Circus (Circo Massimo) in Rome

The Grand Circus (Circo Massimo, Circo Massimo) is the largest hippodrome in ancient Rome, located on the left bank of the Tiber River, between the hills of Palatine and Aventin, almost in the center of the modern city. Name The name Circo Massimo - Circus Maximus - comes from the Latin Circus Maximus. One of the meanings of the word Circus is a venue, a place for equestrian competitions.
Read More
Forum of Emperor Trajan in Rome
Rome

Forum of Emperor Trajan in Rome

The Forum of Trajan (Foro di Traiano) is a magnificent building and historical monument located in the central part of Rome near the Piazza Venezia. The construction of this architectural monument began in 106, shortly after the victory of Emperor Trajan over Dacia (the forum was built just in honor of this event), ended on January 1, 112.
Read More