Symbol of former East Berlin by matcrazy1
I was in Berlin or more exactly in former East Berlin for the first time at age 8/9 yo and I remember well the symbol of East Berlin and GDR (German Democratic Republic - official and... fake name of the East Germany) that was TV Tower. HISTORY
Idea
The history of the Television Tower of Berlin is surely connected with the historical situation of the time when Germany and Berlin was divided into two parts. The former GDR communist authorities had to build a powerful transmitter in the middle of the eastern part of Berlin to show the world how powerful the communist system was.
Beginning
In 1969 SED (East German communist party) leader Walter Ulbricht decided not to build the Tower on the "M?ggelbergen" that was in Berlin-K?penick where the construction of a Tower had already begun, but on the Alerxanderplatz. Hmm... it was typical for that time and system wasting of public money.
The representative and remarkable monument was erected in connection with the "Palast der Republik" (place of SED conventions). It took only 53 month to build the "sozialistische H?hendominante" and in 1969 the Television Tower of Berlin was put into operation and soon became the political and an architectural symbol of East Berlin.
After the reunion of two German states (1990)
After the reunion in 1990 the Tower did not loose its attraction. The inside of the Television Tower was renovated and the technological standard was completely renewed. Each year about 1,000,000 people visit the Tower and enjoy the great view from the top of it.