The Bell Tower of Berlin Olympic Stadium was a observation tower that was built in 1934 after plans by Professor

Werner March Werner Julius March (17 January 1894 – 11 January 1976) was a German architect, son of Otto March (1845-1913), and brother of Walter March, both also well-known German architects. Werner March designed Germany's 1936 Olympic stadiu ...

. The steel skeleton construction was faced with dressed limestone. The tower is located at the western end of the

Olympiastadion Olympiastadion is the German, Finnish and Swedish word for Olympic Stadium and may refer to: * Stockholm Olympic Stadium, the host of the 1912 Summer Olympics (though mostly referred as simply ''Stockholms Stadion'') * Olympiastadion (Berlin), the ...

. After the Second World War Soviet troops accidentally set the tower's contents on fire and it was no longer stable. Therefore, the British engineers blew it up in 1947. The Olympic Bell – weighing 9.60

ton Ton is the name of any one of several units of measure. It has a long history and has acquired several meanings and uses. Mainly it describes units of weight. Confusion can arise because ''ton'' can mean * the long ton, which is 2,240 pounds ...

s, which had survived the fire and remained in its place in the tower – fell , cracked and has been unable to sound since then. In 1956 the bell was rescued, only in order to be used as a practice target using

anti-tank Anti-tank warfare originated from the need to develop technology and tactics to destroy tanks during World War I. Since the Triple Entente deployed the first tanks in 1916, the German Empire developed the first anti-tank weapons. The first deve ...

ammunition. The old bell survives to this day and serves now as a memorial. Between 1960 and 1962 the tower was rebuilt following the old plans, although the tower is now high. In it hangs the present Olympic Bell weighing 4.50 tons with the German Federal Eagle, the

Brandenburg Gate The Brandenburg Gate (german: Brandenburger Tor ) is an 18th-century neoclassical monument in Berlin, built on the orders of Prussian king Frederick William II after restoring the Orangist power by suppressing the Dutch popular unrest. One ...

and the texts between the Olympic Rings (in

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

): "Olympic Games 1936" and "I call the youth of the world". The bell rings the note F sharp. The tower is an important tourist destination offering a panorama of Berlin, Spandau, the

Havel The Havel () is a river in northeastern Germany, flowing through the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Brandenburg, Berlin and Saxony-Anhalt. It is a right tributary of the Elbe and long. However, the direct distance from its source to its mo ...

Valley, Potsdam, Nauen and Hennigsdorf.

External links

Homepages of the Olympic Bell Tower in Berlin
1936 Summer Olympics Buildings and structures in Berlin Observation towers in Berlin Rebuilt buildings and structures in Berlin Towers completed in 1934 Buildings and structures demolished in 1947 Towers completed in 1962 Demolished buildings and structures in Germany 1934 establishments in Germany {{Berlin-struct-stub

See also

External links