Why You Need To See Alexanderplatz’s Fernsehturn

If your go to Berlin and don’t visit Fernsehturn then you haven’t seen the real Berlin.

Credit: @kkrusca

At a height of 368 metres, Fernsehturn is the tallest structure not just in Alexanderplatz, but Germany too. And, the second tallest in the EU. Built by architects Herman Henselmann, Fritz Dieter and Gunter Franke, it was inspired by the Fernsehturm Stuttgart, or as it’s most commonly known, the first artificial earth satellite, Sputnik. It stands as a vision of post-war Germany, of the forward-thinking leader of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) Socialist Unity Party Walter Ulbrecht who commissioned the building, which was constructed between 1965-1969.

The site of the TV Tower was deliberately chosen in the middle of the medieval area of Berlin, which meant a large section of the historic area was destroyed including what remained of a medieval church.