Gruga tower
The Grugaturm is a lookout tower in the Grugapark in Essen and a monument of classical modernism. The park's logo in the form of a stylized tulip is attached to the tower.
history
The 29 meter high Gruga tower was designed in 1928 by the architect Paul Portten (born December 1, 1887 in Krefeld ) based on the radio tower and built as part of the Great Ruhr Land Horticultural Exhibition ( Gruga ). At that time, musical radio broadcasts were broadcast from the tower over loudspeakers to the Grugapark grounds for visitors, when radio was not yet commonplace. In addition, there were film screenings in the base of the tower, which were also shown with sound after 1930.
For the 1938 Reich Garden Show , a viewing platform was added to the tower and an elevator was added. After being destroyed in the Second World War , the Gruga tower was restored. For the second Gruga exhibition in 1952 , the stylized tulip based on a design by the Essen artist Jo Pieper was placed on him.
The son of the architect Paul Portten, Wolfgang Portten (* 1921 in Essen) campaigned vehemently in 1983 for the preservation of the landmark of the Gruga , since at that time the demolition of the tower, which was in poor condition, was being considered.
The building, which has been a listed building since 1986, was no longer accessible to the public from 1987 onwards due to poor building fabric. After the renovation started in 2000, financed with sponsorship money, the Grugaturm can be used again as a lookout tower since May 1st, 2001 at certain opening times (usually on Sundays and public holidays in the summer months).
Today the tower is the only monument from the time Grugapark was founded.
Web links
- Entry on Grugaturm in Grugapark in the database " KuLaDig " of the Rhineland Regional Association
- Excerpt from the list of monuments of the city of Essen (PDF; 361 kB)
- Interest group Rüttenscheid, historical pictures from Rüttenscheid - The Grugapark
Coordinates: 51 ° 25 ′ 50.3 " N , 6 ° 59 ′ 33.7" E