Ostankino Tower
Encyclopedia
Ostankino Tower is a free-standing television
and radio
tower
in Moscow
, Russia
. Standing 540 metres (1,771.7 ft) tall, Ostankino was designed by Nikolai Nikitin
. It is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers, currently the tallest in Europe
and 4th tallest in the world. The tower was the first free-standing structure to exceed 500 m (1,640.4 ft) in height. The tower was constructed to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the October Revolution
. It is named after the Ostankino district of Moscow in which it is located.
Construction
began in 1963 and was completed in 1967. Extensive use of prestressed concrete
resulted in a simple and sturdy structure
. It surpassed the Empire State Building
to become the tallest free-standing structure in the world. It held this record
for nine years until the CN Tower
was completed in Toronto
, Canada
in 1976, which surpassed its height by 13 metres (42.7 ft). The Ostankino Tower remained the second-tallest freestanding structure in the world for another 31 years until the Burj Khalifa surpassed both it and the CN Tower in height in 2007. The height of the tower has been surpassed by Canton Tower in Guangzhou
and is expected to be surpassed by One World Trade Center in New York City
, Abraj Al Bait Towers
in Mecca
, Shanghai Tower in Shanghai
, India Tower
in Mumbai
and Tokyo Sky Tree in Tokyo
(all under construction).
Towers taller than 300 metres were built in Kiev
, Tashkent
, Almaty
, Riga
, Berlin
, Vilnius
, Tallinn
, Yerevan
, St. Petersburg and Baku
.
The Ostankino Tower has remained the tallest free-standing structure in Europe for 42 years. The Russia Tower
, a proposed 612 metres (2,007.9 ft) mixed-use
skyscraper
planned for the Moscow International Business Centre, was originally expected to exceed the Ostankino Tower's height. The project has been suspended due to financial difficulties and it remains unclear if construction will resume.
A 1994 plan to increase the tower's height to 561 meters by adding an antenna
was not implemented for lack of funding.
The tower caught fire on 27 August 2000, killing three people. In addition, television and radio signals were disrupted around Moscow. The fire broke out at a height of about 458 m (1,502.6 ft), or approximately 98 metres (321.5 ft) above the observation platform and the Seventh Heaven restaurant, after a short-circuit in wiring belonging to a paging company. The fire necessitated an evacuation of all visitors and staff from those locations. According to Russian news agencies, the evacuation was complete 90 minutes after the start of the fire. The loss was substantial due to the age and poor maintenance of the electronic equipment, much of which was installed in the 1960s. In addition, the tower had become increasingly packed with equipment. The failure of the fire suppression systems allowed the fire to destroy most of the tower's interior. Although more than 300 firefighters and other emergency workers were called in, firemen were forced to haul heavy equipment, including chemical fire extinguishers, by hand up the tower to halt the fire. Temporary firewalls of asbestos
placed 70 metres (229.7 ft) stopped further spread . The fire knocked out virtually all television broadcasts in Moscow and the surrounding regions. The only television station unaffected was the private NTV
station and the Chennai
relay station, but the government decreed that state channels took priority, and as such, the RTR TV channel began transmitting to several Moscow districts.
The fire caused the tower's upper spire to tilt slightly, triggering fears the tower might collapse. Subsequent inspection determined that although the structure sustained heavy damage, the tower was not in danger of collapse. Immediately, efforts began to rebuild the tower, which proved to be a long and expensive task.
The fire was the third disaster in Russia in a month, following an explosion in a Moscow underground passage that killed 12 people and the sinking of submarine Kursk
in the Barents Sea in which 118 died. Russian President Vladimir Putin
, stated that "This latest accident shows the shape of our vital installations and the overall state of our country. We should not fail to see major problems in the country behind this accident, and we should not forget the economy. Whether or not such accidents happen again in the future will depend on how we work in this vital direction."
On 1 July 2004, Austrian BASE jumper
Christina Grubelnik struck the tower during her descent, receiving a concussion and losing consciousness. Her parachute snagged on a lower-level service platform and she was rescued by Russian emergency services.
On 25 March 2005 the first elevator was tested and put into service after the fire in August 2000. The Seventh Heaven restaurant has remained closed since the accident.
On 25 May 2007, the tower again caught fire, though it was less serious than the 2000 fire and was isolated to a platform on the outside of the tower. All people inside the tower were evacuated and the fire was successfully extinguished, with no casualties.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Standing 540 metres (1,771.7 ft) tall, Ostankino was designed by Nikolai Nikitin
Nikolai Nikitin
Nikolay Nikitkin was a structural designer and construction engineer of the Soviet Union, best known for his monumental structures.-Biography:...
. It is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers, currently the tallest in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and 4th tallest in the world. The tower was the first free-standing structure to exceed 500 m (1,640.4 ft) in height. The tower was constructed to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the October Revolution
October Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
. It is named after the Ostankino district of Moscow in which it is located.
Construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
began in 1963 and was completed in 1967. Extensive use of prestressed concrete
Prestressed concrete
Prestressed concrete is a method for overcoming concrete's natural weakness in tension. It can be used to produce beams, floors or bridges with a longer span than is practical with ordinary reinforced concrete...
resulted in a simple and sturdy structure
Structure
Structure is a fundamental, tangible or intangible notion referring to the recognition, observation, nature, and permanence of patterns and relationships of entities. This notion may itself be an object, such as a built structure, or an attribute, such as the structure of society...
. It surpassed the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
to become the tallest free-standing structure in the world. It held this record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
for nine years until the CN Tower
CN Tower
The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the Burj...
was completed in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1976, which surpassed its height by 13 metres (42.7 ft). The Ostankino Tower remained the second-tallest freestanding structure in the world for another 31 years until the Burj Khalifa surpassed both it and the CN Tower in height in 2007. The height of the tower has been surpassed by Canton Tower in Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
and is expected to be surpassed by One World Trade Center in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Abraj Al Bait Towers
Abraj Al Bait Towers
The Abraj Al-Bait Towers, also known as the Mecca Royal Hotel Clock Tower, is a building complex in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The complex holds several world records, including the tallest hotel in the world, the tallest clock tower in the world, the world's largest clock face, and the world's largest...
in Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, Shanghai Tower in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, India Tower
India Tower
India Tower is a 126-storey, tall skyscraper that was under construction in the city of Mumbai, India. Construction was halted in 2011....
in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
and Tokyo Sky Tree in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
(all under construction).
Towers taller than 300 metres were built in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
, Tashkent
Tashkent
Tashkent is the capital of Uzbekistan and of the Tashkent Province. The officially registered population of the city in 2008 was about 2.2 million. Unofficial sources estimate the actual population may be as much as 4.45 million.-Early Islamic History:...
, Almaty
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
, Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
, St. Petersburg and Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
.
The Ostankino Tower has remained the tallest free-standing structure in Europe for 42 years. The Russia Tower
Russia Tower
The Russia Tower is a partially built skyscraper in the Moscow International Business Centre of Moscow, Russia. Construction began in September 2007, and was planned to be completed in 2012. The total area of the structure would cover , of which 38% would be located underground...
, a proposed 612 metres (2,007.9 ft) mixed-use
Mixed-use development
Mixed-use development is the use of a building, set of buildings, or neighborhood for more than one purpose. Since the 1920s, zoning in some countries has required uses to be separated. However, when jobs, housing, and commercial activities are located close together, a community's transportation...
skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
planned for the Moscow International Business Centre, was originally expected to exceed the Ostankino Tower's height. The project has been suspended due to financial difficulties and it remains unclear if construction will resume.
A 1994 plan to increase the tower's height to 561 meters by adding an antenna
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
was not implemented for lack of funding.
Accidents
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
placed 70 metres (229.7 ft) stopped further spread . The fire knocked out virtually all television broadcasts in Moscow and the surrounding regions. The only television station unaffected was the private NTV
NTV Russia
NTV is a Russian television channel. As a subsidiary of Vladimir Gusinsky's company Media-Most, it was a pioneer in the post-Soviet independent television media, but was later taken over by state-owned Gazprom.- History :...
station and the Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
relay station, but the government decreed that state channels took priority, and as such, the RTR TV channel began transmitting to several Moscow districts.
The fire caused the tower's upper spire to tilt slightly, triggering fears the tower might collapse. Subsequent inspection determined that although the structure sustained heavy damage, the tower was not in danger of collapse. Immediately, efforts began to rebuild the tower, which proved to be a long and expensive task.
The fire was the third disaster in Russia in a month, following an explosion in a Moscow underground passage that killed 12 people and the sinking of submarine Kursk
Russian submarine K-141 Kursk
K-141 Kursk was an Oscar-II class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine of the Russian Navy, lost with all hands when it sank in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000...
in the Barents Sea in which 118 died. Russian President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
, stated that "This latest accident shows the shape of our vital installations and the overall state of our country. We should not fail to see major problems in the country behind this accident, and we should not forget the economy. Whether or not such accidents happen again in the future will depend on how we work in this vital direction."
On 1 July 2004, Austrian BASE jumper
BASE jumping
BASE jumping, also sometimes written as B.A.S.E jumping, is an activity that employs an initially packed parachute to jump from fixed objects...
Christina Grubelnik struck the tower during her descent, receiving a concussion and losing consciousness. Her parachute snagged on a lower-level service platform and she was rescued by Russian emergency services.
On 25 March 2005 the first elevator was tested and put into service after the fire in August 2000. The Seventh Heaven restaurant has remained closed since the accident.
On 25 May 2007, the tower again caught fire, though it was less serious than the 2000 fire and was isolated to a platform on the outside of the tower. All people inside the tower were evacuated and the fire was successfully extinguished, with no casualties.
TV stations
| Station | Channel | Frequency | ERP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Channel One Channel One (Russia) Channel One is the first television channel to broadcast in the Soviet Union. The channel was renamed Ostankino Channel 1 in 1991, after the Soviet Union broke up and the Russian SFSR became the Russian Federation. According to a recent government publication, the Russian government controls 51%... |
1 | 40 kW | |
| TV Center TV Center TV Center is a state-run Russia TV station with the fourth largest coverage area in Russia, after Channel One, Rossiya and NTV. It is owned by the administration of the city of Moscow and is dedicated to programming that highlights various aspects of Moscow life.The channel is broadcast in the... |
3 | 40 kW | |
| Russia 2 | 6 | 1 kW | |
| NTV | 8 | 40 kW | |
| Russia 1 | 11 | 60 kW | |
| DTV | 23 | 10 kW | |
| Euronews EuroNews Euronews is an international multilingual news television channel.It covers world news from what it claims to be a 'European' perspective.Criticisms are that the perspective is in fact that of the European Commission - a major and growing funder of Euronews.... |
25 | 10 kW | |
| STS-Moscow | 27 | 5 | |
| 7TV | 29 | 10 kW | |
| Domashny Domashny Domashny or Domashniy is a TV Network which targets female viewers aged 25–60. It was launched in March 2005. Domashny was aimed to deliver programming to capture an attractive audience in demand by advertisers, but traditionally under-served by broadcasters.CTC Media created the Domashny brand in... |
31 | 20 kW | |
| Russia K | 33 | 20 kW | |
| TNT TNT (Russia) TNT is a Russian brand name of TNT-Broadcasting Network, one of Russia’s top five television networks. It reaches over 100 million people throughout Russia offering a light entertainment aimed at a younger audience from age 16 through age 30.Thanks to its blend of innovative reality programmes and... |
35 | 5 kW | |
| Petersburg - Channel 5 Petersburg - Channel 5 Petersburg - Channel 5 is a television channel based in St. Petersburg, Russia, also known simply as Channel 5. Director General: Alexey Brodskiy, Producer General: Ljubov Sovershaeva... |
44 | 5 kW | |
| TV-3 | 46 | 10 kW | |
| REN TV | 49 | 20 kW | |
| Muz-TV Muz-TV Muz-TV is a Russian music TV channel, broadcasting since 1996. It is largely modelled after western MTV and predates launching of MTV Russia in 1998. Muz TV was founded by Sergey Lisovskiy... |
51 | 20 kW | |
| Zvezda Zvezda (TV channel) Zvezda is a Russian nationwide TV network run by the Russian Ministry of Defense. As of January 2008, Zvezda's CEO was Grigory Krichevsky, previously known for his work on Vladimir Gusinsky's NTV Channel in the late 1990s.... |
57 | 5 kW | |
| 2×2 | 60 | 5 kW |
TV stations (DVB-T)
| Station | Channel | Frequency | ERP |
|---|---|---|---|
| First multiplex: (Channel One, Russia 1, Russia 2, Russia K, Russia 24, Bibigon, NTV, Channel 5) | 30 | 1 kW | |
| ООО «Цифровое ТРВ» (encoded): (DVisionLive, DVisionNews, DVisionSpice, TV1000) | 32 | 1 kW | |
| Sport 2 HD | 34 | 1 kW |
FM stations
| Station | Frequency | ERP |
|---|---|---|
| "Radio Russia", "Radio Podmoskovie" (5:00–1:00) | 66.44 MHz | 15.0 kW |
| "Mayak" | 67.22 MHz | 15.0 kW |
| "Radio Yunost Radio Yunost Radio Yunost , also known as "You-FM" is the primary youth radio station in Russia .- History :Radio Yunost began broadcasting in 1962. It was the main station, where russian people could listen fresh foreign music... " |
68.84 MHz | 15.0 kW |
| "Russian Radio" | 71.30 MHz | 10.0 kW |
| "Orpheus" | 72.14 MHz | 15.0 kW |
| "Radio Retro" | 72.92 MHz | 15.0 kW |
| "Echo of Moscow Echo of Moscow Echo of Moscow is a Russian radio station based in Moscow, broadcasting in many Russian cities, in some of the former-Soviet republics , and via the Internet, which some observers describe as "the last bastion of free media in Russia"... " |
73.82 MHz | 10.0 kW |
| "Business FM" | 87.50 MHz | 5.0 kW |
| "Radio Retro" | 88.30 MHz | 1.0 kW |
| "Echo of Moscow Echo of Moscow Echo of Moscow is a Russian radio station based in Moscow, broadcasting in many Russian cities, in some of the former-Soviet republics , and via the Internet, which some observers describe as "the last bastion of free media in Russia"... " |
91.20 MHz | 5.0 kW |
| "Culture" | 91.60 MHz | 5.0 kW |
| "Kommersant FM" | 93.60 MHz | 5.0 kW |
| "My family" | 94.80 MHz | 5.0 kW |
| "Rock FM" | 95.20 MHz | 5.0 kW |
| "Vesti FM" | 97.60 MHz | 5.0 kW |
| "Kino FM" | 98.00 MHz | 10.0 kW |
| "Free radio" | 98.40 MHz | 5.0 kW |
| "Orpheus" | 99.20 MHz | 5.0 kW |
| "Finam FM" | 99.60 MHz | 5.0 kW |
| "Classic Radio" | 100.90 MHz | 5.0 kW |
| "Dance FM" | 101.2 MHz | 10.0 kW |
| "Monte Carlo Radio Monte Carlo Radio Monte Carlo is the name of six radio stations owned and managed by three different entities:*RMC Info is a French-speaking station, broadcasting in France and Monaco from Paris with some contributions from Monaco. Radio Monte-Carlo was one of 23 founding broadcasting organisations of the... " |
102.10 MHz | 5.0 kW |
| "Radio Maximum" | 103.7 MHz | 10.0 kW |
| "Russian Radio" | 105.70 MHz | 10.0 kW |
| "Europa Plus" | 106.2 MHz | 10.0 kW |
DVB-T stations
| Station | Frequency |
|---|---|
| "Radio Russia" (24 hours), "Mayak", "Vesti FM" | 543 MHz |
| "Voice of Russia Voice of Russia Voice of Russia is the Russian government's international radio broadcasting service owned by the All-Russia State Television and Radio Company. Its predecessor Radio Moscow was the official international broadcasting station of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.-Early years:Radio Moscow... " |
575 MHz |
See also
- List of tallest buildings and structures in the world
- List of tallest structures in the former Soviet Union
- List of towers
External links
- Ostankino Television Tower
- BBC: Moscow's TV tower saved
- Ostankino Tower Above the Clouds at EnglishRussia.com
- Ostankino Tele Tower at Skyscraperpage.com
- Building Tallest Tower at EnglishRussia.com