Danube Tower

The Donauturm (English: Danube Tower) is a tower in Vienna that stands 252 meters (827 feet) tall and is the 68th highest building in the world. The tower is located in the Donaustadt area, near the north bank of the Danube River.

At the time of its completion, the Danube Tower was Europe’s tallest reinforced concrete structure and Austria’s first skyscraper to use scaffold-free slipform technology from Siemens Bauunion. The clear structure of the tower shaft, tower basket, and tubular steel pole, as well as the design as a slender tube in reinforced concrete construction, are comparable to the towers modeled after the Stuttgart TV tower in terms of design and construction. Although the Danube Tower was never intended to house television transmission systems, some authors in the construction and architecture literature refer to it as a television tower due to its design as a head tower, static alignment, existing ring foundation, and construction during the first global wave of tower construction.

The combined weight of the tower shaft, tower basket, and foundation with earth loading is about 17,000 tons.3750 cubic meters of concrete and 514 tons of rebar make up the reinforced concrete skyscraper. According to the foundation stone laying document, the tower head construction should have used 100 tons of profile steel and 50 tons of aluminum, and the tubular steel mast should have used 50 tons of steel.

History

The Donauturm was built between 1962 and 1964 to prepare for the Viennese International Horticultural Show 1964, as conceived by architect Hannes Lintl. The tower stands 252 meters (827 feet) tall. On October 12, 1962, the ground was broken. The tower was officially opened on April 16, 1964, by Federal President Adolf Schärf, after about 18 months of construction under the direction of Eberhard Födisch.

It has now become a feature of the Vienna skyline, as well as a famous viewing point and tourist attraction. It is located in the heart of Donaupark, which was established to house the horticultural exhibition in Vienna’s 22nd District, Donaustadt, along the Danube’s northern bank.

Facilities

High-speed elevators

Two high-speed elevators whisk tourists to the tower’s 150-metre (490-foot) viewing platform. Each lift, which can transport up to 14 people, takes only 35 seconds to reach the viewing deck. Because of the possibility of tower fluctuation, the elevators run at half speed in heavy winds: the movement of the elevator cable might be harmful. The platform may also be accessed on foot by walking approximately 779 steps (775, according to architects Lintl). However, the stairs are normally only open during the annual Donauturm race or in an emergency.

Antennas and radio transmitter

The antennae of cellular phone networks, private VHF radio stations, and several other radio communication services are housed in the Donauturm spire. Despite its resemblance to other TV towers, it has not been utilized for TV broadcasting. The main television transmitter for the Vienna region is located on Kahlenberg hill.

Viewing platform

Two revolving restaurants (at heights of 161.2 and 169.4 meters, or 529 and 556 feet) provide a panoramic view of Vienna and the Danube River below. A full revolution of the platform takes either 26, 39, or 52 minutes. Originally, the restaurants were nearly similar; currently, the upper restaurant is a “upscale” restaurant (called “Turm-Restaurant”), while the lower restaurant is a café (named “Turm-Café”).

Vienna, Austria