Berlin TV Tower

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  View of the Berlin city center with the TV Tower

• The TV tower between renovated old buildings and a prefabricated high-rise.

• The dome of the newly built Berlin Palace and the TV Tower.

The TV Tower on Alexanderplatz is Berlin's most prominent landmark and the tallest building in Germany. Its steel sphere contains an observation platform and a gourmet restaurant.

What would Berlin be without the TV Tower? Standing tall on Alexanderplatz, it is not only the tallest structure in Germany but also the city's iconic landmark. Every day, numerous visitors take a speedy elevator ride up to the tower sphere to enjoy a wonderful view of the entire city. The best thing: you don't even have to move to enjoy a panoramic view because the observation deck rotates once around itself within an hour.

Origin and Construction of the TV Tower

The TV Tower is located on the territory of the former East Berlin. The GDR needed a facility that could broadcast nationwide - a large transmission tower was needed. At first, such a tower was to be built in the Müggelberge hills, but it turned out that the tower would pose too great a danger to the nearby Schönefeld Airport. Therefore, Socialist party leader Walter Ulbricht decided that the TV tower should be built at Alexanderplatz. In the same year, 1964, construction work began. After four years of construction, the TV tower was able to begin operations in October 1969.

Spectacular Views from the Top

To this day, the TV Tower on Alexanderplatz is a must-see for Berlin visitors. After all, the view from the top is unbeatable: in good weather, you can see as far as 80 kilometers. The observation deck is located at a height of 203 meters. A floor above is a restaurant. If you manage to snag a window seat here (reservation strongly recommended), you can see Berlin from any direction while enjoying a gourmet meal.

"The Pope's Revenge"

A legend revolving around the famous TV Tower is that although the building was intended to demonstrate technological advance, it was doomed to an ironic fate. To the embarrassment of GDR authorities, the steel sphere below the antenna produced the reflection of a giant cross. Hence the popular joke, not appreciated at all by the Socialist government, that this was the Popes's revenge on the secular Socialist East Germany for having removed crucifixes from churches.

Information

• Address:
  Panoramastraße 1A
  10178 Berlin
  City map
• Website: www.tv-turm.de
• Opening hours:
  10:00 until 22:00
• Accessibility: The TV Tower is not barrier-free. For safety reasons, people with limited mobility do not have access to the TV Tower. A barrier-free viewing point is located at the Panorama Point at Potsdamer Platz.
• Admission Fee:
  Adults from € 21.50, students from € 17.20, children from € 11.50, free for children aged 0-3
• Tickets: Book tickets online
• Please Note: Animals are not permitted inside the TV tower (excluding guide dogs)