Näsinneula tower
Encyclopedia
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 (551.2 ft). The tower opened in 1971 and is located in the Särkänniemi
amusement park
. There is a revolving restaurant
in the tower 124 metres (406.8 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 (49.2 ft) of elevation from lake Näsijärvi. There are two elevators, made by Valmet
-Schlieren. The elevators go up to a height of 120 metres (393.7 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:
Observation tower
An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision. They are usually at least tall and made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches...
in Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, overseeing Lake Näsijärvi
Näsijärvi
Näsijärvi is a lake above sea level, in Pirkanmaa region, Finland. Näsijärvi is the biggest lake in the Tampere region at in size. The city of Tampere was built around the rapids of Tammerkoski, through which the lake drains into Pyhäjärvi. The water quality of the lake has improved as forest...
. 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
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
at a height of 168 metres (551.2 ft). The tower opened in 1971 and is located in the Särkänniemi
Särkänniemi
Särkänniemi is an adventure park in Tampere, Finland. The park features an aquarium, a planetarium, a children's zoo, an art museum, an observation tower , an amusement park and the world's northernmost dolphinarium. Särkänniemi is the most popular amusement park in Finland...
amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
. There is a revolving restaurant
Revolving restaurant
A revolving restaurant is a usually tower restaurant eating space designed to rest atop a broad circular revolving platform that operates as a large turntable. The building remains stationary and the diners are carried on the revolving floor. The revolving rate varies between one and three times...
in the tower 124 metres (406.8 ft) above the ground; one revolution takes 45 minutes. The design of Näsinneula was inspired by the Space Needle
Space Needle
The Space Needle is a tower in Seattle, Washington and is a major landmark of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and a symbol of Seattle. Located at the Seattle Center, it was built for the 1962 World's Fair, during which time nearly 20,000 people a day used the elevators, with over...
in Seattle. The idea of a revolving restaurant was taken from the Puijo tower
Puijo tower
The Puijo tower is a 75 metre high observation tower in Kuopio, Eastern Finland. The tower has a revolving restaurant with 100 seats, which has worked flawlessly since its opening in 1963. It was the first tower with a revolving restaurant in the Nordic countries...
in Kuopio
Kuopio
Kuopio is a city and a municipality located in the region of Northern Savonia, Finland. A population of makes it the ninth biggest city in the country. The city has a total area of , of which is water and half forest...
.
The base of the tower is at about 15 metres (49.2 ft) of elevation from lake Näsijärvi. There are two elevators, made by Valmet
Valmet
' was a Finnish state-owned conglomerate. Valmet was formed in 1951, when the state of Finland decided to group their various factories working on war reparations to the Soviet Union under one company...
-Schlieren. The elevators go up to a height of 120 metres (393.7 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
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. 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
Beacon
A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location.Beacons can also be combined with semaphoric or other indicators to provide important information, such as the status of an airport, by the colour and rotational pattern of its airport beacon, or of...
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 |