Did you know that 3175 cubic meters of earth had to be excavated for the Fernmeldeturm Birkholzaue’s foundation? That’s a lot of digging. Right here before us stands the Fernmeldeturm Birkholzaue a 110-meter-tall telecommunications tower near Bernau bei Berlin. It’s not just a tower though. It’s a silent witness to history.
The Fernmeldeturm Birkholzaue wasn’t always just about mobile phone signals. It was built in 1959 by order of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications. Initially it was a crucial part of the directional radio network used by the party and the National People’s Army. Imagine the secrets whispered across its network.
Construction was quite an undertaking. By December 1958 the tower reached 80 meters. Its diameter was 5.40 meters with walls just 15 centimeters thick. That’s incredibly thin for such height. The final height without the antenna was 110 meters. Special firms then completed the interior work installing a lift in the middle. Before that many climbed the nearly 600 steps.
The Fernmeldeturm Birkholzaue was once known as the “decimeter tower”. This is because it transmitted so-called decimeter waves. These are electromagnetic waves with a wavelength of 10 to 100 centimeters. Wireless transmission of these waves is called “directional radio”. That’s why such towers are also called “directional radio towers”. It played a key role in ensuring good television reception across East Germany. Broadcasts from numerous cities depended on it.
Today you might not notice the historical significance. You see the modern mobile phone antennas. But beneath the present-day technology lies a remarkable story of Cold War communications and ingenious engineering. The Fernmeldeturm Birkholzaue stands as a testament to the evolution of communication technology in Germany. A silent giant guarding a past now woven into the fabric of Berlin’s history.