SHORT STORY OF A TALL TOWER: THE OPENING OF BERLINER FUNKTURM
Today in Berlin: 3 September 1926
On this day in 1926 Berlin's first large-scale radio (and soon also TV) broadcasting mast, popularly referred to as the Funkturm, opened in Berlin-Charlottenburg. Inspired by the Parisian city icon, the Eiffel Tower, and designed by Heinrich Straumer, it measured 138 metres and was the tallest building in Germany. However, now it measures 146.7 metres. Why? Elementary, really: the antennas simply got longer.
Upon its opening Berlin's Funkturm was called Funkturm Lietzensee - the Lietzensee being a small lake in Charlottenburg (and one of last traces of Charlottenburg's original name). The village of Lietzow was its as well as the royal palace's (Lützenburg) namesake.
Another name used by many? Sendemast Witzleben. But it must be said that the Witzleben radio masts stood there before the Funkturm and were, in fact, replaced by it.
The tower was also referred to as "Langer Lulatsch", or “Lanky Lad”. It is a traditional Berlin nickname used to talk about particularly tall and slender men.
Later, fifty metres above the ground the tower was given a restaurant deck. 126 metres above the ground the Funkturm is fitted with an observation deck: you have to walk up 610 steps to get there. Sounds daunting? Perhaps but in 1928 Berlin inventor Engelbert Zaschka climbed them carrying his… foldable car. A three-wheeler or Zaschka-Stadtauto which took two people five minutes to dismantle and store.
Another memorable moment for the Funkturm was Alfred Braun's first radio announcement (Braun was a German radio pioneer) made through the transmitter: "Achtung! Hier Funkturm Lietzensee! – Zwischen Havel und Oberspree! Der Funkturm sendet im Programm: die Funkturmweihe vom Kaiserdamm!"
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