Europe
Germany
Stuttgart
TV tower
Stuttgarter Fernsehturm
Name:Stuttgart TV Tower
Construction period:1954 – 1956
Client:Süddeutscher Rundfunk (now SWR)
Architects:Fritz Leonhardt and Erwin Heinle
Height:217 meters
Number of visitors:approx. 300,000 visitors / year
Cultural monument:since 1986
UNESCO World Heritage Site:application process
Fernsehturm Stuttgart über grünem Wald mit weitem Blick auf die Stadt und den Himmel

12 Interesting Facts About the Stuttgart TV Tower

 

  1. Location: The Stuttgart TV Tower stands in the Degerloch district, southeast of Stuttgart’s city center. From its observation deck, the view stretches across Stuttgart, the surrounding hills and, in good weather, as far as the Swabian Jura.
  2. Significance: The Stuttgart TV Tower is one of Stuttgart’s most famous landmarks and, at 217 meters, remains the tallest structure in the city today. Since reopening in 2016 after a restoration lasting 3 years, it has attracted around 300,000 visitors each year, making it one of the region’s most important excursion destinations. Its significance reaches far beyond Stuttgart, as it is regarded as the world’s first reinforced concrete TV tower and became an architectural model for many later television towers.
  3. Background: The Stuttgart TV Tower grew out of a very practical problem: in the early 1950s, television reception was poor in many parts of Stuttgart. Even major events such as the coronation of Elizabeth II were received unreliably in many homes, which also made it harder to sell new television sets. For this reason, Süddeutscher Rundfunk, the regional radio and television broadcaster at the time, initially planned only a steel lattice mast with a height of 200 meters. Fritz Leonhardt, however, turned this plain technical idea into a completely new concept: a tower that combined broadcasting technology, panoramic views and gastronomy, and later became the city’s landmark.
  4. Construction History: Construction of the Stuttgart TV Tower began in 1954 and was considered an exceptionally demanding engineering project at the time. The slender tower had to withstand strong winds and heavy loads, while still appearing light, calm and harmonious. After just 20 months of construction, it opened in 1956 and made Stuttgart the birthplace of an entirely new type of tower. At first, however, the tower was not popular with everyone. When it rose above the treetops, some people in Stuttgart saw it as a foreign element in the forest landscape.
  5. How It Works: A television tower is essentially a very tall transmission mast that broadcasts radio signals and, in the past, television signals over long distances. The antennas at the top send out these signals as invisible radio waves, which can be received by devices in the surrounding area. Its great height is crucial because it allows the radio waves to spread more freely over rooftops, hills and other obstacles.
  6. Construction Costs and Financing: The Stuttgart TV Tower was a financial risk from the very beginning, as many critics considered the project too expensive and too risky. Because parts of the municipal council feared an economic disaster, Süddeutscher Rundfunk eventually financed the project with its own funds. The construction costs of 4.2 million DM are said to have been recovered through admission fees after just 5 years, meaning that the initially controversial tower also proved to be an economic success.
  7. Architecture: The architecture of the Stuttgart TV Tower combines technical precision with an unusually elegant form. The slender reinforced concrete shaft tapers upward in a parabolic line, making the tower appear calm and balanced despite its height. The ring foundation is especially well designed, with radially tensioned elements that work much like the spokes of a bicycle wheel and reliably transfer the forces into the ground. Even the slight swaying in strong winds is not a flaw, but a calculated part of the structure.
  8. Tower Pod: The tower pod is the striking round structure in the upper section of the Stuttgart TV Tower and defines its elegant silhouette. Its smooth aluminum shell makes the heavy structure appear visually lighter, while its rounded shape allows the wind to flow around it more easily. In this way, the tower pod combines technical function with a clear, modern design.
  9. Observation Deck: The observation decks are located at a height of around 150 meters and make the Stuttgart TV Tower one of Stuttgart’s most beautiful viewpoints. From the top, the view extends across the Stuttgart basin, the Filder plain, the Neckar Valley and, on clear days, as far as the Swabian Jura. The second level is especially well thought out, as it gives children a better view over the high parapet.
  10. Gastronomy and Event Space: From the very beginning, the Stuttgart TV Tower was designed not only as a broadcasting tower, but also as a place to spend time. In the panoramic café, visitors can eat, drink and enjoy the view over Stuttgart while sheltered from the weather. The offer is complemented by the Leonhardts restaurant at the foot of the tower and an event space in the tower pod, which is used for celebrations and special occasions.
  11. Antenna: The antenna at the top still shows why the Stuttgart TV Tower was originally built: it was intended to significantly improve reception in Stuttgart and the surrounding area. Because interference later continued in shielded parts of the city, the mast was raised by 6 meters in 1965, bringing the tower to its current height of around 217 meters. Since 2006, no television signals have been broadcast from there, but the tower still carries equipment for radio, mobile communications and police radio.
  12. Anecdote: One curious story says that the shaft of the Stuttgart TV Tower was almost painted in red and white rings so that it would be more visible to air traffic. The architect Erwin Heinle, who played a major role in shaping the tower’s design, is said to have opposed this striking paint scheme. From today’s perspective, a TV tower striped in red and white would probably also have caused plenty of discussion in the local football scene, because the blue and white Stuttgarter Kickers play right next door. A tower in the colors of their major city rival, VfB Stuttgart, would probably not have been welcomed with enthusiasm by everyone there.
  • Fernsehturm Stuttgart über grünem Wald mit weitem Blick auf die Stadt und den Himmel
  • Aussichtsplattform des Fernsehturms Stuttgart bei Sonnenuntergang mit rotem Signallicht und Stadtblick
  • Luftaufnahme des Fernsehturms Stuttgart bei Sonnenuntergang über Wald und Stadtlandschaft