The Warsaw Radio Mast was the tallest structure ever built — a 646.38-metre-high radio transmission mast near Konstantynów in central Poland that, from its completion in 1974 until its dramatic collapse in 1991, was the tallest man-made structure on Earth, taller than the Burj Khalifa would be when it opened 20 years later. The mast was built to transmit Radio Poland’s longwave signal across the country and the Polish diaspora worldwide — its 2-megawatt signal was powerful enough to be received as far away as North America and Australia. The mast’s collapse during maintenance work in August 1991 was an engineering tragedy; today, the tower’s foundation and the small memorial at the site are a pilgrimage destination for engineering enthusiasts and a poignant monument to Cold War-era technological ambition.
Quick Facts: Warsaw Radio Mast
- Height: 646.38 metres — remained the tallest structure on Earth for 17 years (1974–1991); today dwarfed only by the Burj Khalifa (828m), the Merdeka 118 (679m), and the Tokyo Skytree (634m)
- Location: Near Konstantynów, ~80km west of Warsaw
- Status: Collapsed August 8, 1991; the site is not a tourist attraction but can be visited by those interested in engineering history. The neighbouring guy-wire anchors and the transmitter building are still visible
- Significance: The tallest structure ever built in Europe — a record likely to stand permanently given modern aviation height restrictions and the shift away from longwave radio
Warsaw Radio Mast in Poland with a height of 646.38 meters was until its collapse in 1991 the tallest structure in the world. It is still the tallest structure in Europe that have ever been built.
Transmitter has been designed for long-broadcast of the first program of the Polish Radio (PR1). Broadcasting was captured in Kazakhstan, Iraq, Iran, almost all of Europe and North America. Official name of the station was Radiofoniczny Ośrodek Nadawczy w Konstantynowie, Radiowe Center Nadawcze w Konstantynowie or Warszawska Radiostacja Centralna (WRC) w Gąbinie.
The collapse of the transmitter mast
In 1984, during a technical inspection of the mast, the damage was discovered. The reason was vibrations of the construction caused by wind. Technical problems during the change led to build a new, stronger structure, but the idea was not implemented for economic reasons.
On 8th August 1991 at 19.10 hours during the exchange of grounding ropes, that were in poor conditions, the mast collapsed. Upper part of the mast broke and hit the base, lower one then broke in the opposite direction. The collapse led to the destruction of a small crane but none of the transmitters or substation buildings were damaged, no one died or was injured.
View Warsaw Radio Mast in Poland – tallest structure in Europe that have ever been built in a larger map
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