The Dizzying Tower Built to Broadcast the 1980 Moscow Olympics

View Downwards from Observation Deck michellek (Atlas Obscura User)

This tower of over 1,000 feet (314 meters) is the tallest structure in Estonia, standing proudly in the skyline as a banner of the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics.

Construction of the giant tower began in 1975 in order to provide a higher quality broadcast for viewers of the 1980 Olympics, and was completed just in time for the games. A total of 32 construction companies took part in building its three main components: the 625-foot (190-meter) reinforced concrete trunk, the 400-foot (124-meter) steel antenna, and a support structure wrapping around the perimeter, 50 stories straight up.

More than 17,500 tons of a specialized concrete mixture, developed by the Tallinn Polytechnic Institute, and 235 miles (380 kilometers) of reinforcement rods make up the tower and secure it safely. It’s located just northeast of Tallinn, Estonia’s capital and largest city.

The dizzying viewing tower is open to the public, and provides visitors with a 360-degree view of Estonia’s Muuga forests, metropolitan Tallinn, and the coast of the Gulf of Finland. The observation deck provides a hands-on opportunity to learn about Estonia’s history and famous landmarks, and brave souls can opt to step out onto the edge of the tower in a harness. If you’d rather skip the strapping in, at 575 feet (175 meters) above the ground, even from behind windows the view will take your breath away.

Know Before You Go

The Tower is on the east side of Tallinn, not far from the Gulf of Finland in norther Estonia. After five years of being closed, the Tower has been renovated and reopened to the public since 2012.