Gliwice Radio Tower

Gliwice Radio Tower, or “the Silesian Eiffel Tower” as the locals call it, stands 387 feet tall and it is quite possibly the tallest wooden structure in the world. Built in 1935 on August 31, 1939, the Germans staged an fake “Polish” attack on Gleiwitz radio station which was later used as justification for the Invasion of Poland.

The tower is a masterpiece of wood engineering with a fascinating lattice structure of the beams. The whole tower is built of wood and all connections were made with bolts of ore as bolts of iron would have absorbed the transmitter’s power and could not be used.

The tower is the only remaining wooden radio tower built before World War II. Before 1945 most radio towers in Germany were built of wood. The tallest stood in Mühlacker with a height of 190 metres, the most fascinating in Ismaning. However they were demolished in 1945 and 1983. Today only Gliwice still stands.