Telemax

The Telemax is a striking telecommunications tower in Hannover, built between 1989 and 1992 to take over the functions of the city's older television tower. At 282 meters (925 feet) tall, it is one of the tallest towers of its kind in Germany. It stands in the Groß-Buchholz commercial district, about six kilometers (3.7 miles) northeast of the city center, near Federal Highway 3 (B3). Despite its imposing size, it hardly stands out in views from within the city, but on a clear day you can spot it easily from the surrounding autobahns at a distance of around thirty kilometers (19 miles). The tower is operated by Deutsche Funkturm and serves as key infrastructure for transmitting digital radio signals in the DAB+ standard as well as digital television in the DVB-T2 format.

Architecturally, the Telemax stands out for its unusual shape. Instead of the usual round design, it has a square shaft measuring eleven meters on each side. The structural analysis of this complex framework was carried out by the University of Hannover, which was uncharted territory at the time. A particular feature is the asymmetrically placed cube-shaped operations cabin hanging from the lowest antenna platform. A simpler round tower was originally planned, but city officials rejected the design because it resembled a smaller tower in Kiel. The Danish architecture firm Dissing+Weitling then took over the concept, giving the tower the distinctive look it has today. Construction required seventeen thousand cubic meters of concrete and four thousand tons of structural steel.

The tower used to be a popular attraction for visitors. An observation platform at a height of 185 meters (607 feet) was open on special occasions such as the "Kleines Fest am großen Turm" (Little Festival at the Big Tower), when climbs almost to the top were also possible. Today, however, the Telemax is no longer open to the public. Instead, the Hannover fire department occasionally uses the tower for high-angle rescue drills. The name Telemax was chosen in 1992 by a public vote and plays on Wilhelm Busch's well-known story "Max und Moritz"; the old tower in the city center was nicknamed Telemoritz.