Florianturm

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Florianturm Dortmund

The Florianturm (Florian Tower, Florian for short) is a landmark of Dortmund (Germany). It is named after Florian, the patron saint of gardeners.

The Florianturm is the TV tower of Dortmund and was built in 1959 as an attraction for a federal horticultural show with a height of 219.6 metres. At the time it was briefly the highest freestanding structure in Germany.

The tower was constructed similarly to a high concrete chimney. It consists of a reinforced concrete tube, which tapers off as it rises, reaching a height of 129.75 metres. At 130.6 metres there is a building part with two floors. On the lower floor there are operation rooms and on the upper floor at 137.54 metres there is a revolving restaurant. At 141.88 metres and 144.7 metres there are two observation decks.

On the upper observation deck there are installations and aerials of the Deutsche Telekom . Since 1959 it has been used for transmitting television signals.

On September 7th, 2004 the aerial was replaced by a Russian helicopter to transmit digital terrestrial television. Since then a 50-kilowatt transmitter has transmitted a digital TV program for the Dortmund area.

Since September 7th, 2004 the Florianturm has a height of 211.36 metres. making it the fourteenth highest structure in Germany.

From 1996 to 1998 the tower was renovated and safety standards were brought up to date.

In 2000 a catwalk for bungee-jumping was opened on the upper platform. It was closed in 2003 after a fatal accident but has not yet been uninstalled.

[edit] Data

architect: Will Schwarz, Dortmund
construction time: May 1958 – April 1959
depth of basement: 8.10 m, the lowest part of the substructure is 110.3 m above sea level
diameter of basement: 25 m
thickness of basement plate: 2.5 m
total weight: approx. 7,700 t
volume of cement: approx. 1,385 t
total weight of concrete: approx. 3,400 m³
total weight of steel: approx. 660 t
stability ratio: 3.5x