Misplaced Pages

Gliwice Radio Tower

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Wooden lattice tower in Gliwice, Poland
Gliwice Radio Tower
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeWooden lattice tower
LocationGliwice, Poland
Coordinates50°18′48″N 18°41′20″E / 50.31333°N 18.68889°E / 50.31333; 18.68889
Completed1935
Height111 m (364.17 ft)
Design and construction
Main contractorDeutsche Reichspost
Historic Monument of Poland
Designated2017-03-15
Reference no.Dz. U. z 2017 r. poz. 654
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (November 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The Gliwice Radio Tower is a transmission tower in the Szobiszowice district of Gliwice, Upper Silesia, Poland. Nazi Germany staged a false flag attack on the tower in 1939, which was used as a pretext for invading Poland, beginning World War II.

Gliwice Radio Tower

Structure

The Gliwice Radio Tower is 111 m (364 ft) tall, with a wooden framework of impregnated siberian larch linked by brass connectors. It was nicknamed "the Silesian Eiffel Tower" by the local population. The tower has four platforms, at 40.4 m (133 ft), 55.3 m (181 ft), 80 m (260 ft) and 109.7 m (360 ft) above ground. The top platform measures 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) square. A ladder with 365 steps provides access to the top.

Timber structure

The tower is the tallest wooden structure in Europe. The tower was originally designed to carry aerials for medium wave broadcasting, but that transmitter is no longer in service because the final stage is missing. Today, the Gliwice Radio Tower carries multiple transceiver antennas for mobile phone services and a low-power FM transmitter broadcasting on 93.4 MHz.

History

The tower was erected from 1 August 1934 as Sendeturm Gleiwitz (Gleiwitz Radio Tower), when the territory was part of Germany. It was operated by the Reichssender Breslau (former Schlesische Funkstunde broadcasting corporation) of the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft radio network. The tower was modeled on the Mühlacker radio transmitter, it replaced a smaller transmitter in Gleiwitz situated nearby on Raudener Straße and went in service on 23 December 1935.

On 31 August 1939, the German SS staged a 'Polish' attack on Gleiwitz radio station, which next morning was used as justification (Seit 5 Uhr 45 wird jetzt zurückgeschossen! / We are now, since 5.45, returning fire!) for the invasion of Poland. The transmission facility was not demolished in World War II. From 4 October 1945 until the inauguration of the new transmitter in Ruda Śląska in 1955 the Gliwice transmitter was used for medium-wave transmissions by the Polish state broadcaster Polskie Radio. After 1955, it was used to jam medium-wave stations (such as Radio Free Europe) broadcasting Polish-language programmes from Western Europe.

Transmitted programmes

Radio

Program Frequency 
MHz 		Power 
kW 		Polarisation Antenna Diagram
around (ND) /
directional (D)
Radio CCM 93.40 2 Vertical ND

See also

Impact

The shape of the Pope Cross of Zabrze was inspired by Gliwice Radio Tower Archived 2023-10-22 at the Wayback Machine.

References

  1. Rozporządzenie Prezydenta Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej z dnia 15 marca 2017 r. w sprawie uznania za pomnik historii "Gliwice - radiostacja", Dz. U., 2017, No. 654
  2. "Radiostacja Gliwice". Muzeum w Gliwicach (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2022-10-18. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  3. "Radiostacja Gliwice". Archived from the original on 2023-12-10. Retrieved 2022-10-18.

External links

Categories: