Petřín lookout tower
The Petřín Tower ( Petřínská rozhledna ) is located on the 318 meter-high Petřín -Hügel in the district of Lesser Town (Mala Strana) of the Czech capital Prague .
The 63.5 meter high tower was opened on the occasion of the industrial exhibition on August 20, 1891 as a scaled-down replica of the Paris Eiffel Tower and provides a comprehensive view of Prague and the wider area. Construction began on March 16, 1891. In 1953, a television transmitting antenna was installed on the tower. In 1991, after several years of renovation work, the tower was reopened to the public. The tower has not served as a television broadcasting station since 1992.
The tower can be reached on foot via a 45-minute ascent through the park or in around ten minutes with the Petřín funicular . To reach the top of the two viewing platforms, 299 steps have to be climbed on a double spiral staircase in the form of a double helix . A separate staircase is provided for ascent and descent. An elevator is available, but it is not always in operation.
description
The steel structure weighs 175 tons. In contrast to the Eiffel Tower, the Petřín lookout tower does not have a square, but an octagonal cross-section and, unlike its Parisian model, does not stand on four steel framework columns. The space between the foundations is completely filled by the entrance hall. One thing in common with the Eiffel Tower is that the lowest cross connections are designed as round arches.
Web links
- Petřín lookout tower. In: Structurae
- Official site (Czech)
- 125 years of a long view: The Petřin Landesecho Prague lookout tower on August 24, 2016
Coordinates: 50 ° 5 ′ 0.6 " N , 14 ° 23 ′ 42.4" E