Colonius is the tallest structure in Cologne. The television tower was built in the early 1980s along the green belt that encircles the inner city of Cologne.
Unfortunately, the tower’s observation deck is no longer open to visitors.
Construction
The telecommunications tower was built in 1981 by the Bavarian construction company Dyckerhoff & Widmann. At the time, the Colonius was Germany’s sixth-tallest communications tower, with a height of over 253 meters. Its height was later increased to 266 meters (873 ft.) with the addition of a tall radio antenna at the top of the spire.
The concrete and steel tower is located northwest of the inner city, at the green belt (Innerer Grüngürtel) that surrounds the historic center of Cologne.
The Platform
The nine-meter-high tower basket contains transmission mechanisms for analogue and digital radio, as well as digital television.
Until 1999, the Colonius was open to visitors who could take an elevator to the observation deck and revolving restaurant, situated at a height of 166 meters. The views stretch far over Cologne, and on clear days one could see as far as Bonn and Düsseldorf.
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