Gliwice Radio Tower
Encyclopedia
The Gliwice Radio Tower is a transmission tower in the Szobiszowice district of Gliwice
, Upper Silesia
, Poland
.
wood framework and bronze connectors. The tower was nicknamed "the Silesian Eiffel Tower
" by the local population, although the similarities are minor. Gliwice Radio Tower has four platforms, which are 40.4 m, 55.3 m, 80.0 m and 109.7 m above ground. The platform on its top has a size of 2.13 x 2.13 m. For access to its top, there is a ladder with 365 steps.
As most timber transmitters have been dismantled, Gliwice Radio Tower is probably the tallest remaining wooden structure in the world. It was originally designed to carry aerials for medium wave broadcasting, but the transmitter is not in service any more as the final stage is missing. Today, the Gliwice Radio Tower carries multiple transceiver antennas for mobile phone
services and a low power FM transmitter on 93.4 MHz.
. It was operated by the Reichssender Breslau (former Schlesische Funkstunde broadcasting corporation) of the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft
radio network. The tower was modeled on the Mühlacker radio transmitter, it replaced a smaller transmitter in Gleiwitz situated nearby on Raudener Straße and went in service on 23 December 1935.
On 31 August 1939, the German SS
staged a 'Polish' attack on Gleiwitz radio station
, which was later used as justification for the Invasion of Poland
. The transmission facility was not demolished in World War II
. From 4 October 1945, until the inauguration of the new transmitter in Ruda Śląska
in 1955, the Gliwice transmitter was used for medium wave broadcasting of the Polish Public Broadcasting Company
. After 1955, it was used as a jammer against medium wave transmitters broadcasting Western Polish-language programmes, e.g. Radio Free Europe
.
Following the decision of the City Council taken on 2 December 2004, the radio tower is a museum on radio history and visual arts, located in the former radio transmitter building.
Gliwice
Gliwice is a city in Upper Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Gliwice is the west district of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union – a metropolis with a population of 2 million...
, Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia
Upper Silesia is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia. Since the 9th century, Upper Silesia has been part of Greater Moravia, the Duchy of Bohemia, the Piast Kingdom of Poland, again of the Lands of the Bohemian Crown and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as of...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
.
Structure
It is an 118 m (387.1 ft) high (including the 8 m (26.2 ft) long spire on its top) construction of impregnated larchLarch
Larches are conifers in the genus Larix, in the family Pinaceae. Growing from 15 to 50m tall, they are native to much of the cooler temperate northern hemisphere, on lowlands in the north and high on mountains further south...
wood framework and bronze connectors. The tower was nicknamed "the Silesian Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
" by the local population, although the similarities are minor. Gliwice Radio Tower has four platforms, which are 40.4 m, 55.3 m, 80.0 m and 109.7 m above ground. The platform on its top has a size of 2.13 x 2.13 m. For access to its top, there is a ladder with 365 steps.
As most timber transmitters have been dismantled, Gliwice Radio Tower is probably the tallest remaining wooden structure in the world. It was originally designed to carry aerials for medium wave broadcasting, but the transmitter is not in service any more as the final stage is missing. Today, the Gliwice Radio Tower carries multiple transceiver antennas for mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
services and a low power FM transmitter on 93.4 MHz.
History
The tower was erected from 1 August 1934 as Sendeturm Gleiwitz (Gleiwitz Radio Tower), when the territory was part of GermanyNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
. It was operated by the Reichssender Breslau (former Schlesische Funkstunde broadcasting corporation) of the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft
Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft
The Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft , which can be loosely translated as the State Broadcasting Company, was a national network of German regional public broadcasting companies active from 1925 until 1945...
radio network. The tower was modeled on the Mühlacker radio transmitter, it replaced a smaller transmitter in Gleiwitz situated nearby on Raudener Straße and went in service on 23 December 1935.
On 31 August 1939, the German SS
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
staged a 'Polish' attack on Gleiwitz radio station
Gleiwitz incident
The Gleiwitz incident was a staged attack by Nazi forces posing as Poles on 31 August 1939, against the German radio station Sender Gleiwitz in Gleiwitz, Upper Silesia, Germany on the eve of World War II in Europe....
, which was later used as justification for the Invasion of Poland
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
. The transmission facility was not demolished in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. From 4 October 1945, until the inauguration of the new transmitter in Ruda Śląska
Ruda Slaska
Ruda Śląska is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. It is a district in the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union, a metropolis with a population of 2 million. It is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river ....
in 1955, the Gliwice transmitter was used for medium wave broadcasting of the Polish Public Broadcasting Company
Polish Radio and Television
Committee of Radio and Television "Polish Radio and Television" Committee of Radio and Television "Polish Radio and Television" Committee of Radio and Television "Polish Radio and Television" ((also called as a Radiocomittee - Radiokomitet) was a institution, which manages all stations of Polish...
. After 1955, it was used as a jammer against medium wave transmitters broadcasting Western Polish-language programmes, e.g. Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is a broadcaster funded by the U.S. Congress that provides news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East "where the free flow of information is either banned by government authorities or not fully developed"...
.
Following the decision of the City Council taken on 2 December 2004, the radio tower is a museum on radio history and visual arts, located in the former radio transmitter building.
External links
Museum on Radio History and Visual Arts http://radiopolska.pl/wykaz/archam.php?pid=13- SkyscraperPage.com
- Tower on Google Maps
- http://radiopolska.pl/wykaz/pokaz_lokalizacja.php?pid=356