photo: Bundesarchiv / Sturm, Horst / CC
When you think about all those metropolises of the world and what each of them uses as their main trademark (New York the Statue of Liberty, Paris the Eiffel Tower, Sydney its iconic Opera House, London the Big Ben, to name only a few examples) it seems almost odd that Berlin would have something as ordinary as a TV tower as their most prominent sight. Every major city has one of those so it seems kind of like an uninspired choice. So how come both Berliners and visitors love this particular TV tower so much that they raise it above more distinctive buildings like the Brandenburger Gate or the Dom? Is it the unique spheric shape of the platform? Its reflective, faceted surface? Its central position within the city? The fact that Berlin is built so low that it stands out so much an can be seen from almost every major street? There are probably more facts that make the TV Tower of Berlin unique compared to those of other cities. But maybe the answer is much simpler…
photo: Bundesarchiv / Sturm, Horst / CC
Berlin is different from all those other mentioned metropolises – it’s not as pompous, wealthy and shiny. It’s slow-paced, understated and ordinary. So it needs a different kind of symbol. Something that reflects it’s simple, unexcited nature, something minimalistic, yet clearly recognizable. The TV Tower symbolizes this pretty good and it actually stands out between other city’s landmarks. It perfectly reflects the “Berlin state of mind”. Constructed from 1965 to 1969 by the German Democratic Republic, the television tower at Alexanderplatz is not to be missed when seeing an image of the capital. For decades now, the Fernsehturm is the rock of the capital in the middle of Berlin. Intended as a symbol of technological superiority by the GDR, the tower now serves as a symbol of unity. Countless Instagram photos (#thattoweragain), souvenirs and postcards exist with the big concrete and steel tower on them. But you hardly ever come across imagery of how the iconic Berlin symbol actually came to be.
Everything starts with a piece…
photo: Bundesarchiv / Spremberg, Joachim / CC
Needs to be planned out…
photo: Bundesarchiv / Spremberg, Joachim / CC
Tightened…
photo: Bundesarchiv / Sturm, Horst / CC
Supplied with new parts…
photo: Bundesarchiv / Sturm, Horst / CC
Piece by piece…
Into the air…
photo: Bundesarchiv / Spremberg, Joachim / CC
The tower is 368,03m high – which is where workers needed to built it…
photo: Bundesarchiv / Spremberg, Joachim / CC
They were probably very happy when a day was over.
photo: Bundesarchiv / Spremberg, Joachim / CC
The TV tower was constructed by the Deutsche Post, the state-owned postal service of the former GDR.
And cost about 200 Million Mark.
photo: Bundesarchiv / Sturm, Horst / CC
Made of steel and set in stone.
For now and then, it is the beloved “no-fuzz” symbol of Berlin, its sight putting a smile on every Berliner’s and visitor’s face.
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Text: Frank & Yasmin
