| Kyiv Television Tower | |
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Київська телевежа
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Kyiv TV Tower in 2014
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| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Steel lattice television tower |
| Location | Kyiv, Ukraine |
| Coordinates | 50°28′16″N 30°27′12″E / 50.47111°N 30.45333°E / 50.47111; 30.45333 |
| Construction started | 1968 |
| Completed | 1973 |
| Opening | 1973 |
| Height | 385 m (1,263 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Lifts/elevators | 2 |
The Kyiv TV Tower (Ukrainian: Телевізійна вежа, romanized: Televiziyna vezha) is a 385 m-high (1,263 ft) lattice metal tower[1] on Oranzhereina Street, Kyiv, Ukraine, and is the tallest structure in the country.[2] Built in 1973 while Kyiv was the capital of Ukraine SSR,[3] the tower serves for radio and television broadcasting and is not open to the public.[1] The tower was the tallest free-standing metal structure in the world[1][2] until being surpassed by the Tokyo Skytree in 2012.
The tower was first designed for Moscow, then the Soviet capital. But Moscow authorities preferred a more "solid" type of tower which was eventually built (Ostankino Tower). Later, when Kyiv needed its own tower, the project was reintroduced. The Soviet government ordered the engineers to shorten the tower by almost 30%, so as not to be as tall as the Moscow one.[4][5]
The tower was built on top of the Jewish cemetery in Lukianovka. The cemetery was officially closed in 1966 and Jewish families were given six months to rebury their relatives in the Jewish areas of a new cemetery in the city. Since the relatives of the interred had been killed in the Babi Yar massacre, most of the graves were not moved. After the headstones had been destroyed or removed the antenna was built on top of the existing graves.[6][7][8][9]
Construction began in 1968[10] and finished in 1973[2] at a cost of approximately $12 million. Made of steel pipe of various diameters and thicknesses, the structure weighs 2,700 metric tons (2,700 long tons; 3,000 short tons). The central pipe, or core, where the elevator is located, is 4 meters (13 ft) in diameter and made of pipe that is 12 mm thick. It sits on a four-legged base that is about 100 meters (330 ft) meters tall. Atop the base is an enclosed level which houses microwave transmitting and receiving equipment. At about 200 meters (660 ft) is a second enclosed level that houses television and FM transmitters, as well as a control and maintenance shop. This second level is the elevator's terminus.
The tower is unique in that no mechanical fasteners such as rivets are used in the structure: every joint, pipe and fixture is attached by welding. It is the first all-welded tower in the world.[2]
On 1 March 2022, the tower was hit by a missile fired by Russian forces during the Battle of Kyiv as part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[11] According to Ukrainian officials five people were killed as a result.[12] Ukraine state advisor Anton Herashchenko accused the Russian army of trying to disrupt the city's communication signal.[3] According to The Kyiv Independent, Ukrainian TV channels' broadcasting was disrupted following the attack.[13] It is unknown if the strike intended to topple the tower or if the intent was to disable its communication systems. The extent of the damage was not immediately apparent, and the tower remained standing.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry condemned the attack due to its proximity to the memorial to the Babi Yar massacres. The Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial Center confirmed reports that a second missile had hit the nearby memorial.[14]
Media related to Kyiv TV tower at Wikimedia Commons| Records | ||
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| Preceded by | World's tallest lattice tower 385 m (1263 ft) 1973–2012 |
Succeeded by |
