Shukhovskaya Tower (Tower on Shabolovka)
Shukhov Tower is a hyperboloid structure in the form of a load-bearing mesh shell, located in the Donskoy district of Moscow. It is a masterpiece of world architectural art that became a legendary symbol of Soviet television. Built in 1922 according to the project of academician V. G. Shukhov, the TV tower became the prototype of numerous structures of this kind not only in the Soviet Union, but also in China, Japan, Switzerland, and other countries around the world.
Video: Shukhov Tower on Shabolovka from a bird’s-eye view
Contents- History of the Shukhov Tower
- Features of the construction
- From sound to picture: History of TV and radio broadcasting from the Shukhov Tower
- Shukhov TV Tower: Modernity
- Interesting facts
- How to get there
History of the creation of the Shukhov Tower
Features of the construction
At first glance, the seemingly fragile, mesh structure of the Shukhov Tower has one invaluable advantage – the wind load on it is minimized. For structures of such height, this factor is of great importance, as it is the factor that determines the stability of the entire structure. In addition, for a structure made entirely of metal beams, the Shukhov Tower has a record low weight. For comparison: the legendary Eiffel Tower, which is 324 meters high, weighs 8850 tons. At the same time, the version originally designed by Shukhov with a height of 350 m was supposed to have a mass of 2200 tons.
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The design of the Shabolovskaya TV tower is ingeniously laconic: straight steel profiles crossing each other are based on the base-rings, creating a clear geometric grid pattern. The structure is formed by 6 sections of different diameters, 25 meters each. What is interesting: neither scaffolding nor cranes were used in the construction of the main TV tower in Moscow. All parts of the Shukhov Tower were assembled on the ground, inside the first, widest section, and then lifted and installed with the help of winches.
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The strength and endurance of Shukhov’s invention can be judged by an incident that happened to it in 1941. As a result of a malfunction, a mail airplane flying near the tower hit a metal cable that had been hanging from the structure since its construction and fixed at its base by a winch. The structure received a powerful blow, and the plane, unable to withstand the collision, collapsed in one of the neighboring yards. The incident may have been forgotten over time, if it weren’t for an interesting fact: the commission assembled to identify the damage to the Shukhov Tower did not find any. Simply put, the structure was not damaged and did not need any restoration.
.From sound to picture: the history of television and radio broadcasting from the Shukhov Tower
Shukhovskaya TV tower: modernity
Surprising but true: the fame of the Shukhovskaya TV tower has spread far beyond the borders of Russia. During an international conference in 2006, the creation of the great Russian architect was short-listed among the best objects of the Russian avant-garde. Moreover, an international commission recommended that the structure be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Unfortunately, due to an unprofessional restoration attempt carried out in the 1970s, the structure has partially lost its mobility and resistance to external influences. In addition, over time there was a need for anti-corrosion treatment of the tower elements.
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In 2011, 135 million rubles were allocated for the restoration of the main emblem of Russian television, which turned out to be insufficient for work of this scale. The initial estimate was 350 million, which turned out to be an unaffordable amount for the federal budget, so the reconstruction was postponed indefinitely.
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By 2013, the condition of the Shukhov Tower had reached the status of pre-emergency. A year later, Deputy Minister of Communications A. Volin suggested dismantling Shukhov’s creation, allegedly due to the fact that the object threatens to collapse arbitrarily. The deputy minister’s proposal provoked negative reactions among the residents of Shabolovka, as well as famous architects of the world. Angered by Volin’s “rationalization” idea, representatives of the world’s architectural community sent a letter of protest to the president of the Russian Federation, in which they suggested preserving the Shukhov Tower as the most important object of world culture.
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Thanks to the wide public outcry, the Moscow authorities stopped making attempts on the Shabolov hyperboloid and even equipped it with a special support structure protecting the structure from destruction. Responsibility for the preservation of the world architectural monument was assigned to the Ministry of Communications, promising to allocate money for the reconstruction of the tower in the future.
.Interesting facts
- Television and radio broadcasts from the Shukhov Tower were discontinued in 2002. .
- The territory where the structure is located is considered closed, so it is possible to get to the site only after an officially issued permit. If there is no such permit, you can simply approach the fenced area and from here you can admire the legendary structure. .
- A total of 8 towers in the Shukhov style were built on the territory of the Russian Federation. .
- In 2016, the structure was included in the list of Monuments of World Culture, with a protected status.
- Currently, the Foundation for the Development of Science and Culture has organized the collection of monetary donations to save the Shukhov Tower.
How to get there
The address of the Shukhov Tower is 8 Shukhova St., Moscow.
.The easiest way to get to the Shukhov TV Tower is the Moscow Metro. Get off at the station “Shabolovskaya”, from which to the legendary hyperboloid is only a few hundred meters. A longer way (about one and a half kilometers) from the station “Oktyabrskaya”. When leaving the metro, go for a walk along Shabolovka Street, using the streetcar line as a reference point.
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