There were good technical and political grounds for building a new television tower for East Berlin in 1969. But that was not enough. The government of the German Democratic Republic, still known to the West as the Soviet Zone of Germany, would be celebrating its 20th Anniversary in 1969. It had inherited symbols from the former German governments. It had inherited a war memorial from the Soviet occupation forces. But its leaders wanted their own symbol, one that would be seen from West Berlin as well as from the East. West Berlin had the 1920's vintage Funkturm (radio tower). East Berlin would top that, while at the same time providing a tv signal that would reach into homes throughout Greater Berlin!
It was opened on 3 October 1969 with a ceremony featuring the leadership of East Germany. Its shiny cladding made it visible from almost anywhere with a clear line of sight. It was visible through the battered columns of the Brandenburg Gate, as in this late 1969 photo that I snapped of the new tower on a cold afternoon.
The sun, low in the sky at Berlin's 52 degrees north latitude, lit the shiny ball, as expected. However, it lit it, as amused Berliners realized, with the image of a cross.
It was not a miracle in the technical sense. Anyone can recreate this effect at home with a shiny flower vase or bowl and a flashlight. Still, it appealed to the sense of Berlinerwitze, so that some people called it "St. Walter's Cross" with Walter Ulbricht in mind. That this man who came back from Moscow in 1945 to set up a governing party in the Soviet Zone of Germany would find his name associated with the seemingly miraculous appearance of a cross over his capital city must have grated on him.
It might have passed without comment -- although in Berlin anything was grist for the humor mill. But the humor in this case was in how thoroughly the leadership had invested itself in this project. It could not simply ignore the star or cross, whichever it was.. (Ulbricht was eased out of office in May 1971, for substantial reasons. Still, one wonders if humor helped to grease the skids.)
In the future, I expect to include additional information about the Fernsehturm. In the meantime, you may visit the link provided below, to learn more mundane facts.
Link to the Berliner Fernsehturm official website.
Return to Photos/Aufnahmen table of contents.
Link to Berlin stories/Geschichte.