Sender Hemmingen

In the gentle hum of the Hanoverian countryside, stands the Sender Hemmingen. It’s a steel giant, a silent sentinel broadcasting stories and information across the airwaves. The Sender Hemmingen has a long and fascinating history, intertwined with the evolution of broadcasting technology. The original mast, built in 1940, met a dramatic end, destroyed by German forces in 1945 just before British troops arrived. A new, 119-meter-high mast rose from the ashes in 1948, followed by a 108-meter companion for UKW and television broadcasts. The Sender Hemmingen wasn’t just a local voice. It broadcasted on medium wave, reaching far beyond Hanover. Before 1978, it operated on 1586 kHz with 40 kW. After the Geneva Wave Plan, it switched to 828 kHz. Sharing this frequency with Freiburg-Lehen meant reducing power to 5 kW at night, while daytime power ranged from 100 kW, later reduced to 20 kW. The year 1999 marked a significant transformation. The 1948 mast was demolished, replaced by the current 149.5-meter structure. This giant carries UKW, DVB-T antennas, and a cage antenna for medium wave. The 108-meter mast remained as backup until 2006 when it was demolished due to high maintenance costs. The Sender Hemmingen continued its broadcast journey until January 13, 2015, when its medium wave transmissions ceased. The Sender Hemmingen remains a landmark in the Hanoverian landscape, a testament to the changing world of broadcasting. It stands as a reminder of how technology evolves, while its imposing structure continues to dominate the skyline.