Munich Olympic Tower — Broadcaster And Top Sight For Millions

The Munich Olympic Tower (Munich’s television tower) blasts enough power from its radio and TV antennas to be heard as far as the Upper Palatinate, Swabia, Lower Bavaria, and even into Austria. Wow, that’s a lot of juice!

Millions of people tune in everyday to listen to classical music, opera, or the news, either by radio or TV. It even acts as a relay tower for HAM Radio (I didn’t even think that was still around). I think its listening public is only rivaled by the number of visitors to the tower that sits in the Olympic Park near the skating and swimming centers.

Construction began on this 291 meter tower in 1965 (June 1st), a year before Munich was told it was to host the 1972 Olympic Games. It was completed in plenty of time, February 22, 1968; a full four years before the start of the Games.

It was designed by Sebastian Rosenthal from concrete and steel. They are the standard building materials, aren’t they? I mean, all TV towers in Germany are made from them. I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. ;-)

The Munich Olympic Tower has seen more than 36 million people since it was finished; six million before the Olympic Games in 1972 alone. It’s not like you’re just staring up at this massive tower sticking out into the Bavarian air; there’s more to it than that.

The tower has two observation platforms, one at 185 meters with a bar and Rock Museum. No, not like in stones; I mean like in Rock-n-Roll. Throughout the year, the museum holds quite a few concerts this high in the sky.

The other observation deck is slightly higher, 189 meters. There’s also a souvenir photo studio on this level. They thought of everything, didn’t they?

On a lower level than the first observation deck is its revolving restaurant. It can spin a full rotation in either 49 or 70 minutes for its 200 or so patrons. Just a note, if it isn’t spinning it’s because the wind is whipping around at more than 80km per hour (it’s a safety feature, so don’t be upset).

Getting to the top of the tower is quite simple. Just get in one of its two public elevators (each can hold up to 30 people) for a quick 7 meters per second, taking just 30 seconds to get to the top. The service elevator moves at a snail’s pace, just 4 meters per second.

Just be lucky you don’t have to climb to the top, it’s got 1,230 steps. And that’s just to the 185 meter point! Oh, goodness, that’s a lot of steps. I got tired just thinking about it, let alone attempting it. ;-)

Sorry, you can’t take the two sets of steps at its 192 meter mark; they’re for servicing the Munich Olympic Tower.

You’d be amazed at what it takes to support this thing. It weighs 52 and a-half thousand tons (I’m gonna do the math for you, that’s 104 million pounds) with a base of more than 28 meters in total diameter, going 12 meters below the ground. Something’s got to support that extreme weight, right?

The Munich Olympic Tower is quite a famous landmark, even being commemorated in postage. I want my picture on postage. I think I’ll have mine take up at the top of the tower; German officials can use that likeness of me. ;-)

 

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