Rheinturm

The Rhine Tower is a TV tower in Dusseldorf. With 240.50 meters it is the tallest building in the city and the tenth- highest TV tower in Germany. Built from 1978 to 1982 Rhine Tower serves as both a carrier of antennas for radio, DVB-T television and FM radio services as well as an observation tower. The right on the Rhine -standing tower carries a special feature on its side facing the old town a so-called light sculpture, which is the largest digital clock in the world. The Rhine Tower is open to the public, dominates the town of Dusseldorf and is one of its landmarks. Every year about 300,000 people the Rhine Tower.

  • 3.1 foundation, stem and Technology
  • 3.2 tower basket and aerial platforms
  • 3.3 public facilities
  • 3.4 light sculpture
  • 3.5 Safety devices
  • 4.1 Digital radio ( DAB)
  • 4.2 Digital TV (DVB -T)
  • 4.3 radio programs
  • 4.4 telephone service and television - radio

Location

The Rhine Tower is in Düsseldorf's government quarter to 36.6 meters above sea level in the Rhine Park Bilk at the eastern end of the media harbor and a few hundred meters southwest of the old town on the right bank of the Rhine. In the immediate vicinity of the north tower are the Landtag of North Rhine -Westphalia and the Rhine knee Bridge, south of the city gate and the WDR Studio Dusseldorf country. The tower also forms the southern end of the Rhine promenade.

The Rhine Tower is connected through the gate stops and state / Kniebrücke the tram lines 704 and 709 and on the Rhine Tower several bus lines stop at the local public transport.

History

Situation and Planning

The first plans for the construction of a as " Rhine Tower " designated " marvel of German iron industry " in Dusseldorf dating from the years before the First World War. This should " still tower over the Eiffel Tower at 200 meters, 500 meters are so high." This project was not realized.

Düsseldorf's first telecommunications tower 1960/61, on a hill east of Gerresheim built (→ Telecommunications Tower Gerresheim ). This could be achieved despite the relatively low tower height of 75 meters initially many counter stations. However, its importance over time decreased due to its low absorption capacity for new antennas. Further extensions and alterations on site also did not appear appropriate, since the distance to the central office in the city was too great.

The new telecommunications tower should serve the telephone traffic in the first place. Criteria for choosing a suitable site were the technical telecommunications needs, as close as possible to stand at the central office in the Graf- Adolf-Straße and to allow a short cable connection. On the other hand, the building open to the public by its location should be formative for the cityscape as a landmark and are located near the center. The chosen site on the Rhine adjacent to the Rheinkniebrücke fulfilled these conditions.

The height of the tower was largely predetermined by the geographical location, the urban conditions of the City and the proposed microwave links. Even with those in the 26 km distant Witzhelden a Erdüberhöhung of 13.67 meters ( → curvature of the earth ) was to be included. Also, when designing the tower height, the FVO main building had to be taken into account with 123 meters, it was at that time the tallest structure in the city. Therefore, the minimum height for the directional antenna was 180 meters above the ground, while for the upper antenna up to 200 meters have been established because of the overreaching influence.

In addition to the technical aspects of the tender conditions demanded an explicitly " tower form that clearly sets itself apart from existing ". Planning began in 1977 with an architectural competition in which six candidates participated. A concept was to combine the spire through the antenna platforms with the roof of the tower basket with a strut-type cable structure, similar as it is today carried on Colonius. Another saw two separate tower baskets before with a tower shaft which was covered by a hyperbolic structure.

End of 1978, the design of the architect Harald Deilmann received with the true simple but unusual design of the tower top in the form of a cup from the contract. The client was the German Federal Post Office, investor and builder society for communal facilities in Dusseldorf. The planning of the structure and the construction supervision was responsible engineers of the company Dyckerhoff and Widmann.

Construction

For the commenced on January 20, 1979 Construction of a climbing formwork system was used, which is mainly used in cooling towers. For this, a 2.5 -meter section of the shaft was concreted; until the day after the concrete was so far tied that he stripped and the formwork could be displaced upward. So the tower shaft including kelchförmigem tower basket grew to around 218 meters. The Rhine Tower is the only television tower, which was built according to this principle. The situation is different with the inner portion of the tower, which was hoisted by means of sliding formwork. There are two nested cylindrical tower structures that were built in parallel. The loads of the pulpit projectiles are discharged via diagonal supports and internal vertical supports in the tower shaft. This homogeneous structure supports according Deilmann also significantly help to avoid corrosion problems.

Parallel to the tower climbing a crane was built, the new tower kicks himself einbaute in progressive phases to grow with the tower. Work on the tower shaft were completed in the second half of 1980. As at the beginning of 1981, the floors of the tower were built cage, was glazed the pulpit in March. The 16 meter high antenna support - hollow body made of plastic was also placed on 23 April 1981 the crane. On November 24, 1981, the artist Horst H. Baumann installed the lighting level at the shaft of the Rhine Tower.

The Dusseldorf Rhine Tower is the first tower, which was made ​​entirely of reinforced concrete; more than 7,500 cubic meters of concrete and 1,100 tons of reinforcing steel were used. The whole of built space includes 39,000 cubic meters, of which only 21,000 cubic meters on the shaft. On 1 December the same year was the building of the two users of the tower, German Federal Post Office ( participation: 52% ) and industrial terrain Dusseldorf rice timber ( participation: 48%) to pass. On March 1, 1982, the special tower was opened to the public.

Since the opening

From the telecommunication services of the German Federal Post Office, the tower was designated radio transmission point 10 Shortly after the completion of the Rhine Tower stood as a solitary figure at the edge of the harbor. Only in the course of the next 15 years the area was ( The Rhine Tower ) upgraded with the construction of the Diet from 1982 to 1988, the city gate and the Gehry buildings in 1998.

In March 1986, the telecommunications tower with 29 other projects of North Rhine -Westphalia was recognized in the architectural competition Exemplary Buildings in North Rhine -Westphalia.

On 16 and 17 October 2004, the Rhine Tower received a new tip. With the help of a Kamov helicopter - load the old antenna was replaced with a new GRP, which is used to broadcast the DVB-T television in the Dusseldorf area. For this purpose, the plastic shell of the antenna tip was sawed into two approximately equal size, the 3.5-ton parts and removed with the help of the helicopter. The new red and white, broken down into three parts antenna was transported by helicopter to the top and fastened there. Before the tower was 234.2 meters high and beamed out of the local radio NE -WS 89.4 no further broadcasts from.

Owners and operators of the system are currently the German radio tower ( DFMG ), a subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom, based in Münster, and the industry terrain Dusseldorf rice timber ( IDR), a wholly owned subsidiary of the city of Dusseldorf.

In the city the slang term Long Wellern has become established on the basis of the Elector Jan Wellem for the tower.

From 2008 to the relocation of the event in the ARAG Tower 2012 Fire Fighter Skyrun took place in the Rhine Tower annually. In this competition, in which only active firefighters (2011 also members of THW) were allowed to start, the 960 steps of the staircase were mounted to the viewing platform with full firefighting protective clothing and breathing apparatus. The teams started as a squad, so a two person team, the SCBA was, however, not be connected because no respirator is worn. , Erected in 2011 for the fastest 168 meters in altitude is 07:21 minutes.

Lightning

During a storm in September 2013, a lightning strike led to the failure of the largest decimal clock in the world. Technicians must now check the fuses and 40 lamps.

Description

Foundation, stem and Technology

Because of its proximity to the Rhine, the wet and unstable ground and the basic flood risk had to be taken into account in the establishment. Therefore, the tower rests on 256 17 to 22 meters long in-situ concrete piles with 0.5 meters in diameter.

The base of the tower with a diameter of 27 meters consists of a truncated cone, in which the entrance is located to the public. The underground cellars house the office of the radio transmission plant, transformer station, air conditioning, power system with fan, the pressure booster system, the cable layout space, a fire station, and part of the restaurant kitchen.

Above the truncated cone of the tower shaft begins with a diameter of 17.4 meters which tapers in 150 meters height up to 8.6 meters. Inside the tower shaft are in a second cylindrical tower an emergency staircase with 960 steps, installation shafts and elevator installation with a total of four elevators; two serve as a visitor elevator, is a kitchen and a passenger elevator for the operators of telecommunications systems. This inner tower has an outer diameter of 8 meters and a wall thickness of 20 centimeters; it is connected to 123 meters rigidly to the outer tower shaft.

The tower at 78.65, 118.65, 186.65 meters and at its peak aircraft warning light. In its construction the shaft emerged 62 portholes, who each have a diameter of 50 centimeters and a distance of 2.5 meters, of which 39 serve as lighting units for the light sculpture.

Tower basket and antenna platforms

In a 60 -degree angle this is followed by the cup- like base of the tower top. The wall thickness is 35, in the area of the cup 25 centimeters.

The roof of the tower basket has 179.4 meters its greatest diameter 35.5 meters. The roof is also the first antenna platform. Two other aerial platforms at 186.9 and 194.4 meters tapering to 30.5 meters and 26.5 meters in diameter. This creates the impression of a tower at the basket continuing, flipped standing calyx, so the corresponding form language with him. The tower basket is divided into the following three main floors:

  • To 174.50 meters above sea level the revolving restaurant TOP 180
  • 170.00 meters to a cafeteria and an enclosed observation deck with panoramic windows,
  • 166.25 meters to an open observation deck.

Between the first and the second antenna platform, there are two invisible from the outside operation projectiles. There is a 24 meter high reinforced concrete shaft with the 22.1 meter high red - white-painted self-supporting antenna tip GRP above the third antenna platform.

Public facilities

The entryway to the Rhine tower a circular world clock is installed in the inner shaft. It consists of 24 ceiling-high timetables mirror glass, in which the terrestrial globe is ground. In the mirror facets 16 world cities are represented by their own digital watches. Furthermore, longitude and latitude and the time zones are read. Clock the clock is an electronic crystal oscillator by Seiko, which receives its control pulse from the atomic clock of the Physikalisch- Technische Bundesanstalt. The world clock is to embody the cosmopolitan property of erdumspannenden communication links as well as the leave Today and Tomorrow merge into a moment in time.

The two public elevators carry visitors at a speed of 4 m / s either on the height of the bar with the closed observation deck below or on the restaurant. These parts of the tower are leased to a private restaurant operation. The lower, fully secured by mesh open-air deck at 166 meters above sea level is to reach to the public via the staircase from the cafeteria. The restaurant with 180 seats at the front window rotates in one hour around the tower axis, for technical reasons 12:00 bis 17:30 clock in one direction and 18:30 to 1 clock at night in the opposite direction. The outwardly inclined window panes are made of 45 mm thick laminated safety glass. For reasons of space, the kitchen is in the basement of the tower base and is connected via a separate kitchen elevator with the revolving restaurant. In April 2013, opened after two months of renovation, the Bar and Lounge " M168 ​​" on 168 meters. It is the highest bar in North Rhine -Westphalia and one of the highest in Germany.

Light sculpture

As a special attraction, a light sculpture on the northeast side of the stem is attached, on which the time of the Old Town can be read. The artist Horst H. Baumann calls his work " Light Time Level ". It is according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest decimal " time scale " of the world and was originally planned for the pylon of Oberkasseler bridge to their inauguration in April 1976, but only realized in November 1981 on the Rhine Tower.

At the tower shaft are for 39 superposed portholes lamps. These lamps are separated by air traffic control red lights in three groups. The top group represents the hours, the minutes, the mean and the lower the seconds. Each group shows up the tens and units digits including the (also see figure at right). The clock is also referred to as digital clock, although the "Light Time Level " indicates the classic 24 - hour clock and the digits are displayed in the Unärsystem. The time synchronization is controlled by the DCF77 radio signal.

At night, the spire is illuminated bluish- purple.

Safety devices

TV towers open to the public must meet specific requirements in terms of their safety devices. For this reason, all elevators are operated manually; between telecommunications and kitchen elevator is in addition a transfer possibility. The visitor elevators can be used as a fire elevator in case of fire and have a separate electrical circuit. The fire escape is permanently illuminated. All materials used in the tower are difficult or even non-flammable. Every visitor is detected via a counting system, in order to ensure that no more than 700 persons reside in the tower, in the absolutely fireproof viewing platform have room in case of fire.

In both platforms visitors a sprinkler system is installed. A water reservoir in the lower calyx area holds 75 m³ fire water. In the event of a power outage, a power system takes over the power supply for the entire audience area.

Frequencies and programs

Digital radio ( DAB)

DAB is broadcast in vertical polarization and single-frequency operation with other transmitters. Since October 1, 2012, the nationwide DAB Multplex is broadcast on DAB channel 11D.

  • Radio hit Paradise ( 72 kbps, DAB )
  • Absolute relax (72 kbps, DAB )
  • Sunshine live (72 kbps, DAB )
  • Germany Funk ( 128 kbps, DAB)
  • Germany radio culture (128 kbps, DAB)
  • DRadio knowledge (56 kbps, DAB )
  • Documents and Debates (40 kbps, DAB )
  • ENERGY ( 72 kbps, DAB )
  • Horeb (72 kbps, DAB )
  • Classic Radio (72 kbps, DAB )
  • LoungeFM (72 kbps, DAB )
  • RADIO BOB! (72 kbps, DAB )
  • Radio Horeb (48 kbps, DAB )
  • Baden- Württemberg: Baden -Baden ( Fremersberg ), Freiburg ( Vogt Castle Totenkopf ), Geislingen ( Oberböhringen ), Heidelberg ( king chair), Heilbronn ( Pig Mountain ), Pforzheim ( Schomberg - Long Brand), Stuttgart ( Head of a Woman ), Ulm ( Cow Mountain )
  • Bavaria: Augsburg (Hotel Tower ), Nuremberg, Regensburg ( High Line ), Ingolstadt ( Gelbelsee ), Munich ( Olympic Tower ), Wendelstein ( Bavarian Zell), Würzburg ( Frankenwarte )
  • Berlin: Berlin ( Alexanderplatz), Berlin ( Scholzplatz )
  • Bremen: Bremen
  • Hamburg: Hamburg ( Moor Fleet ), Hamburg ( Heinrich- Hertz-Turm )
  • Hesse: Bad Hersfeld ( Rimberg ), Fulda ( Hummel head), Gelnhausen ( Schnepf head), casting ( Dünsberg ), Grosser Feldberg, Frankfurt ( Europe tower), Kassel ( Hawk Forest ), Mainz -Kastel
  • Mecklenburg- Vorpommern Schwerin ( Zippendorf - Gr.Dreesch )
  • Lower Saxony Braunschweig ( Broitzem ), Braunschweig ( Dragon Mountain ), Göttingen ( Bovenden - Osterberg ), Hanover ( Telemax ), Osnabrück ( Bramsche - Schleptruper Harrow ), Hildesheim ( Sibbesse / Griesberg )
  • North Rhine -Westphalia: Bielefeld ( Hünenburg ), Bonn ( Venusberg ), Dortmund ( Florian Tower ), Dusseldorf ( Rhine Tower ), Cologne ( Colonius ), Long Mountain, Minden (Jacob Berg)
  • Rhineland -Palatinate: Daun ( Eifel), Koblenz ( Kühkopf )
  • Saarland Saarbrücken ( Schoksberg )
  • Saxony: Schoeneck, Chemnitz ( Geyer ), Dresden, Leipzig ( Stadtwerke )
  • Saxony- Anhalt: Magdeburg ( Kapaunberg ), Halle ( Wallwitz -Peter Berg)
  • Schleswig -Holstein: Kiel ( Kronshagen )
  • Thuringia Gera, Island Mountain, Weimar ( Etter Mountain )
  • WDR 2 (96 kbps / 88 kbps)
  • WDR VERA (48 kbps mono)
  • 1 Live (96 kbps / 88 kbps)
  • 1 Live diggi (96 kbps / 88 kbps)
  • WDR 5 (96 kbps / 88 kbps)
  • Kiraka (96 kbps / 80 kbps)
  • WDR Radio Europe (96 kbps / 80 kbps)
  • WDR Event (0 kbps / 72 kbps, temporarily)
  • WDR 4 (96 kbps / 88 kbps)
  • Domradio (72 kbps)
  • Radio Impala (72 kbps)
  • WDR BWS
  • WDR EPG
  • WDR TPEG

Arnsberg (Castle Hill), Bad Oeynhausen ( P.Westf. - Wittekindsberg ), Bonn ( Venusberg ), Dortmund ( Florian Tower ), Dusseldorf ( Rhine Tower ), Ederkopf ( Supreme Henn ), Eifel ( Dahlem- Bärbel Cross), Herford ( Eggeberg ), Gummersbach ( Angels church Hohewarte ), Ibbenbüren ( Blome Kamp ), Kleve ( Bresserberg ), Cologne ( Cologne Tower ), Long mountain ( Hordtberg ), Munster ( Nottuln tree mountains), Northern Light / Ebbegebirge, Oelde ( Mack Berg), Olsberg, Siegen (yaw mountain ) stemwede ( Arrenkamp ), Teutoburg Forest ( Bielenstein ), Wuppertal ( on the king height )

Digital TV (DVB -T)

Since November 8, 2004 the Düsseldorf Rhine Tower radiates up to 24 digital TV channels. Before the introduction of digital television, the Rhine Tower served as the modulation line for the regional studios of the WDR, ZDF, as well as for private broadcasters. The range is sufficient for its convenience and the high transmission power to the Netherlands, the cities of Aachen, Düren and the circle in the Ruhr area.

  • RTL Television
  • RTL II
  • Super RTL
  • VOX
  • WDR Television
  • MDR TV
  • NDR Television
  • SWR TV Rhineland -Palatinate
  • The first
  • ARTE
  • Phoenix
  • Tagesschau24
  • Sat.1
  • ProSieben
  • Cable one
  • N24

Radio programs

The FM station on the Rhine Tower is located at an altitude of 196 meters. The local stations NE -WS 89.4 aired by his station start up in 1998 by the radio tower in Willich with 200 watts. Since this station, however, the transmission area did not cover properly, the transmission power was increased and shifted to the Rhine Tower. Thus, the radio station is receiving in the Netherlands and the Eifel.

Telephone service and television - radio

When radiotelephone service of the Rhine tower acts as a counter radio station and thus the interface to the fixed telecommunications network. The majority of the technical telecommunications transmission takes place via radio antennas. The capacity of the relay equipment was expanded in 1990 with 35,000 telephone channels with traditional analog radio relay equipment, 65,000 telephone channels with digital radio and 13 television microwave links. As a counter stations 16 telecommunication towers are within 50 kilometers. In national transmission system they serve as relay stations for signal amplification.

For events in Dusseldorf and around the picture and sound on portable microwave equipment to be sent to the Rhine tower, which passes it via a fixed television microwave link to the relevant studios.

For radio relay system includes several satellite dishes on the three platforms.

Tower restaurant Possession (law) Deutsche Bundespost Microwave transmission Düsseldorf-Bilk Sonderturm Neuer Zollhof Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine ARAG-Tower Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt Numerical digit Fire sprinkler system Radiation pattern Deutschlandfunk Fremersberg Tower Fernsehturm Heidelberg Dorint Hotel Tower Olympiaturm Fernsehturm Berlin Eifel Transmitter Fernmeldeturm Koblenz Sender Inselsberg Bitrate VOX (TV channel) Fritz Leonhardt Structurae Integrated Authority File
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