Colonius Tower: The Center of Attraction for Tourists in Germany
Cologne’s telecommunications tower, commonly known as Colonius Tower is located in the German city of Cologne. It is also known as Fernmeldeturm in German. It is located to the north west of the city centre. The tower was built in 1981 to serve the growing telecommunication requirements around the city and the introduction of new technologies in this area. It consists of antennas for radio relay and radio services within the VHF range. Apart from serving its primary purpose, it also houses a cafeteria, viewing platform, and a restaurant. The tower initially rose to a height of 252.9 meters. In 2004, a radio was fixed over the top by a helicopter which increased the height to the present 266 meters.
Colonius Tower: The Center of Attraction for Tourists in Germany
Since this addition, the tower now also broadcasts digital television (DVB-T) in the Cologne/Bonn region. The tower is presently the highest in the North Rhine Westphalia. It is seventh highest telecommunication tower in the whole Germany. Its diameter of shaft reaches at the base 14.9 meters and at the height of the viewing deck 8.8 meters.Colonius tower has been a center of attraction in the city for tourists in the past. Visitors can go up to a height of 170 meters to a three-storied platform through elevators. At this height, one gets some great views of the whole city and Rhine. In clear visibility, one can see as far as Dusseldorf and Bonn in the North and Siebengebirg near Bonn in the South. There is also a revolving restaurant at this level. However, the restaurant and the visiting are closed since 2009 due to non-availability of a leaseholder for the site. It is quite unfortunate that visitors can no more ascend to the top of the tower and hence, miss some spectacular views of the city and its suburbs.
