Hubert

Austria - 11-Apr-24 -

An ugly television tower as a world heritage site? Or an innovative work of engineering representing the second half of the 20th century? Basically, a bit of both and I'm torn between these two views. But there is no middle course, a clear decision - thumbs up or thumbs down - is required. So here a summary of my pros and cons.

When TV started to become a mass medium in the early 1950s, high masts were needed to transmit the signals of sound and image. As Stuttgart lies in a valley, a nearby hill, the Hohe Bopser, was chosen as the location for the transmitter. The original plan was to build a lattice tower, which had previously been used for such purposes. But the engineer Fritz Leonhardt proposed an innovative alternative: a slender monolithic tube made of reinforced concrete. It was the first tall tower in the world with this type of construction. And the tower should be open to the public with a restaurant and a viewing platform. Although controversial at first, the tower soon became the city's landmark. But that doesn't mean much, Stuttgart doesn't have much to offer that would be suitable as a landmark.
The construction and the concept of the tower has been copied and varied many times, mostly in Germany. Almost every major German city has such a concrete TV tower. And also the Guishan TV tower in Wuhan, the CN Tower in Toronto and the towers in Vienna and Johannesburg were apparently inspired by the tower in Stuttgart. Compared to the towers built later, the clear and plain design of the tower basket in Stuttgart is much more elegant and appealing, in my opinion. But, of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Today, the tower is no longer a television tower. For almost 20 years, only radio programmes have been transmitted. The television aerials were no longer suitable for the new digital standards. On many other TV towers, the antennas were upgraded, but in Stuttgart they decided to build a new tower at another location.

I enjoyed my visit in 2019, it was like travelling back to my childhood when going up a TV tower was part of visiting a major city. Some of the towers even had, and still have, a rotating restaurant (not in Stuttgart), so that you could comfortably enjoy the panoramic view with a coffee or a meal. Even though visitor numbers have declined in recent decades, many of these towers are still popular with locals and tourists, especially in cities such as Munich, Düsseldorf and Berlin. The Berlin TV tower has more than one million visitors a year (according to Wikipedia).

Germany deals very well with its modern heritage, with several 20th century sites on the World Heritage List. So should the Stuttgart TV tower be included on the list as a symbol of television and mass media? The major limitation in my opinion is that the idea of such a tower has mainly spread in German-speaking countries. Although very numerous there, the impact and significance are rather on a local level. I have to admit that I have a soft spot for proposals of modern architecture and technology. In conclusion, however, it is a ‘thumbs down’ from me.