Fernsehturm Stuttgart

Fernsehturm Stuttgart is a 216.61m telecommunications tower in Stuttgart, Germany. It was the first telecommunications tower in the world constructed from reinforced concrete, and it is the prototype for many such towers worldwide. Although controversial at first, it quickly became a well known landmark of Stuttgart and a tourist attraction.LocationThe tower is located on the hill Hoher Bopser 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 and the Black Forest.HistoryThe 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).The tower reached its current height of 216.61m after the antenna was extended from October 1965 to December 1965.Specifications Engineer: Fritz Leonhardt Altitude: Foot of tower 483m above sea level Overall height to the antenna point: 216.8m Height of upper observation deck: 153.5m Height of lower observation deck: 150m Diameter of foundation: 27m Total weight of tower: approximately 3,000 tons Weight of foundation: approximately 1,500 tons Speed of elevators: 5m/s Panorama Café on a platform of the tower basket Maximum diameter of tower basket: 15m