Gliwice Radio Tower

Gliwice Radio Tower
General information
Status	Completed
Type	Wooden lattice tower
Location	Gliwice, Poland
Coordinates	50°18′48″N 18°41′20″E / 50.31333°N 18.68889°E / 50.31333; 18.68889
Completed	1935
Height	111 m (364.17 ft)
Design and construction
Main contractor	Deutsche Reichspost
Historic Monument of Poland
Designated	2017-03-15
Reference no.	Dz. U. z 2017 r. poz. 654[1]

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (November 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The Gliwice Radio Tower is a transmission tower in the Szobiszowice district of Gliwice, Upper Silesia, Poland. Nazi Germany staged a false flag attack on the tower in 1939, which was used as a pretext for invading Poland, beginning World War II.

The Gliwice Radio Tower is 111 m (364 ft) tall,^[2] with a wooden framework of impregnated siberian larch^[3] linked by brass connectors. It was nicknamed "the Silesian Eiffel Tower" by the local population. The tower has four platforms, at 40.4 m (133 ft), 55.3 m (181 ft), 80 m (260 ft) and 109.7 m (360 ft) above ground. The top platform measures 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) square. A ladder with 365 steps provides access to the top.

The tower is the tallest wooden structure in Europe. The tower was originally designed to carry aerials for medium wave broadcasting, but that transmitter is no longer in service because the final stage is missing. Today, the Gliwice Radio Tower carries multiple transceiver antennas for mobile phone services and a low-power FM transmitter broadcasting on 93.4 MHz.

The tower was erected from 1 August 1934 as Sendeturm Gleiwitz (Gleiwitz Radio Tower), when the territory was part of Germany. It was operated by the Reichssender Breslau (former Schlesische Funkstunde broadcasting corporation) of the Reichs-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft radio network. The tower was modeled on the Mühlacker radio transmitter, it replaced a smaller transmitter in Gleiwitz situated nearby on Raudener Straße and went in service on 23 December 1935.

On 31 August 1939, the German SS staged a 'Polish' attack on Gleiwitz radio station, which next morning was used as justification (Seit 5 Uhr 45 wird jetzt zurückgeschossen! / We are now, since 5.45, returning fire!) for the invasion of Poland. The transmission facility was not demolished in World War II. From 4 October 1945 until the inauguration of the new transmitter in Ruda Śląska in 1955 the Gliwice transmitter was used for medium-wave transmissions by the Polish state broadcaster Polskie Radio. After 1955, it was used to jam medium-wave stations (such as Radio Free Europe) broadcasting Polish-language programmes from Western Europe.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Radio station in Gliwice.

• Gleiwitz incident
• List of tallest wooden buildings

The shape of the Pope Cross of Zabrze was inspired by Gliwice Radio Tower [1] Archived 2023-10-22 at the Wayback Machine.

• Museum on Radio History and Visual Arts (in Polish)
• Gliwice Transmission Tower at Structurae
• [2] Archived 2014-07-04 at the Wayback Machine (in Polish)
• SkyscraperPage.com Archived 2006-03-19 at the Wayback Machine
• Tower on Google Maps Archived 2012-02-04 at the Wayback Machine
• http://radiopolska.pl/wykaz/pokaz_lokalizacja.php?pid=356 Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
• https://web.archive.org/web/20130417065346/http://nadaje.com/nadajniki/138/gliwice-wieza-radiostacji
• Site on GeoPortal