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All Germany Berlin Berlin Radio Tower
AO Edited

Berlin Radio Tower

A restaurant and observation deck built in a unique broadcasting antenna.

Berlin, Germany

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Berlin Radio Tower   Christophe Gateau/picture alliance via Getty Images
Berlin Radio Tower   Christophe Gateau/picture alliance via Getty Images
Berlin Radio Tower   Oltmann Reuter/ullstein bild via Getty Images
  Johan SWE / Atlas Obscura User
The tower’s feet made of porcelain   http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Funkturm...
Looking up Berlin Radio Tower   Zavijava2
Northwestern foot of Berlin Radio Tower. One can see that the tower stands on insulators   Zavijava2
Berlin Radio Tower   Zavijava2
Berlin Radio Tower at night   Zavijava2
Berlin Radio Tower from Devil’s Mountain   Zavijava2
  Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Berlin Radio Tower at night   Zavijava2
Entrance area of Berlin Radio Tower. In this building you pay your entrance fee and enter the lift   Zavijava2
Support insulator at nothwestern foot of Berlin Radio Tower with a sign of the Royal Porcelain Factory   Zavijava2
Closer view of a foot of Berlin Radio Tower and its basement insulators   Zavijava2
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About

The Berlin Radio Tower or "Berliner Funkturm" is a well-known landmark in Berlin. A 146-meter-tall lattice tower, the tower has a restaurant at a height of 51.65 meters and an open-air observation deck at 121.49 meters.

There is a unique feature of the radio tower, which is that its feet stand on large porcelain insulators, insulating it from the ground. Towers standing on insulators are not uncommon on long- and medium-wave broadcasting sites, but these towers are not normally open for tourists, as they have high voltage, and are dangerous. The Berlin Tower, which was built between 1924 and 1926—and was always intended to be open to tourists—almost had the same problem. After it was completed, it was discovered that it would be nearly impossible to get tourists on the insulated tower without endangering them.

Eventually the broadcasting element of the tower was scrapped in favor of the tourists, and the Berlin Radio Tower was turned into merely a nice place to get a meal and look out over the city, which it still is today.

Update as of August 2024: The tower reopens on August 20th, and the restaurant from mid-September. 

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Natural Wonders Unique Restaurants & Bars Outsider Architecture Nature

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Martin, hrnick, rikwilliams, rachellyon...

  • Martin
  • hrnick
  • rikwilliams
  • rachellyon
  • Fred Cherrygarden
  • codyschuyler
  • mbison
  • ThomasSchneider62
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • Johan SWE

Published

June 18, 2009

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Sources
  • http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berliner_Funkturm
  • https://www.visitberlin.de/en/funkturm
Berlin Radio Tower
11 Messedamm
Berlin, 14055
Germany
52.505023, 13.27817
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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Berlin

Berlin

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Places 140
Stories 18

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Messedamm Underpass

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miles away

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Photo of Berlin

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