Fernsehturm

Ask a Berliner where you can get the best possible view of the city, and it's said you'll be told to go to the top of the Fernshturm. Apparently, it's the only place where you can't see the thing itself! Personally, I didn't think it looked any worse than any other TV tower. Let's face it, TV transmitters are not generally known for their aesthetic qualities, and in the case of these sorts of structures, it's definitely about 'size being everything'. The Fersehturm owes its very existence to the division of Germany into East and West. The GDR needed to build a powerful transmitter in East Berlin, the fact that it towered over the capitalist West ...  Read the complete review

If you only spend a couple of days in Berlin, a trip to the top of the Fernsehturm (television tower) is worth it. The viewing platform stands at 204m above the ground and the structure can be viewed from across the city. The best way to reach it is by taking the bus or u-bahn to Alexanderplatz. There are a couple of reviews on here already, which are pretty old now and much has changed down at the Fernsehturm. History -------- The television tower is a prime example of Stalinist architecture constructed between 1965 to 1969, to act as a symbol of East Berlin by the former GDR government. The mast at the top broadcasts television and ...  Read the complete review

I was lucky enough to finally get to the top of Berlin's TV Tower or 'Fernsehturm' at the start of March this year (2001). When I say top, I mean the viewing platform, which is 203m up the 365m structure. Having visited Berlin a few times over the past 8 months I had attempted to visit the tower on a few occasions, mainly giving up because of the long queues that can stretch out into Alexanderplatz. Ok, so this wasn't helped by the fact that on one occasion the lifts broke - not exactly confidence inspiring, however the tower was closed for refurbishment for a couple of months afterwards! Ok, so you probably want to know if it's ...  Read the complete review

Visible throughout most of the city, this television antenna is actually located in the former East Berlin, and if nothing else, it's immensely useful as a landmark from which to get your bearings. Built in 1969, the Fernsehturm is still the second tallest structure in Europe, and is nicknamed Telespargel ('toothpick') by locals. Certainly, from the ground, it is a remarkable structure, and well worth a look. Several buildings in the area around the base of the structure hold the studios of TVB – Berlin's own television channel. Supposedly, it's possible to get a lift up to the metal sphere, 203 metres above the ground, ...  Read the complete review