| Näsinneula Observation Tower | |
|---|---|
Näsinneula Observation Tower in October 2005 |
|
| General information | |
| Type | Observation, communication, restaurant |
| Location | Tampere, Finland |
| Coordinates | |
| Construction started | 1970 |
| Completed | 1971 |
| Opening | 1 May 1971 |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 167.9 m (550.9 ft) |
| Top floor | 124.0 m (406.8 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 2 |
| Elevator count | 2 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Pekka Ilveskoski |
| References | |
[1][2] |
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Näsinneula is an observation tower in Tampere, Finland, overseeing Lake Näsijärvi. It was built in 1970–1971 and was designed by Pekka Ilveskoski. It is the tallest free-standing structure in Finland and the tallest observation tower in the Nordic countries at a height of 168 metres (551 ft). The tower opened in 1971 and is located in the Särkänniemi amusement park. There is a revolving restaurant in the tower 124 metres (407 ft) above the ground; one revolution takes 45 minutes. The design of Näsinneula was inspired by the Space Needle in Seattle. The idea of a revolving restaurant was taken from the Puijo tower in Kuopio.
The base of the tower is at about 15 metres (49 ft) of elevation from lake Näsijärvi. There are two elevators, made by Valmet-Schlieren. The elevators go up to a height of 120 metres (390 ft), to the Pilvilinna ("Cloud Castle") café. The restaurant (called Näsinneula) is one story higher.
The elevator ride to the top takes 27 seconds with a maximum speed of 6 m/s (20 ft/s) and the elevators carry a maximum of 16 people. The elevators are still the fastest public elevators in Finland. In the event of a blackout, the tower's own diesel emergency generator will start. In an emergency people can be evacuated with stairs that have 700 steps.
Beacon lights at the top of the tower display a weather forecast:
| three yellow bars | = clear weather | |||
| two yellow and one green bar | = cloudy | |||
| one yellow and two green bars | = chance of rain | |||
| three green bars | = rainy |