Avala Tower
The Avala TV Tower (Serbian: Авалски торањ / Avalski toranj) is a 202.87 metre (666 ft) tall telecommunication tower located on Avala mountain near Belgrade, Serbia. It was destroyed in NATO bombardment of Serbia on 29 April, 1999. On December 21, 2006, the reconstruction of Avala Tower commenced and was finished in October of 2009.
History
The tower was constructed by architects Uglješa Bogdanović and Slobodan Janjić, and engineer Milan Krstić. Construction started on October 14, 1961 and was completed four years later in 1965. The tower weighed four thousand tons. From the height of 102 metres to 135 metres, there was a glassed area to which visitors could come via two quick elevators. It was the only tower in the world to have an equilateral triangle as its cross section, and one of very few towers not perched directly into the ground, but standing on its legs. The legs formed a tripod, making it one of the small number of towers to be constructed in that manner.
The tower was surmounted by an antenna, which was at first used for black and white television transmission. In 1971 the antenna was replaced by a new one for color TV transmission. The project, which was of high risk, was finished without any worker injuries or deaths, which was unusual for a project of its size.
Avala Tower was destroyed on April 29, 1999 by NATO bombardment, supposedly to put Radio Television of Serbia off the air. Radio Television Serbia broadcasting did not suffer as it was relying on a network of local TV stations which were obliged to relay its program throughout the whole of Serbia. The tower was one of the last buildings to be destroyed before the end of the NATO operation. A special bomb was used to destroy the tower. The blast was one of the loudest explosions heard throughout Belgrade during the NATO bombardment. Between the date of its destruction on April 29, 1999 and September 11, 2001, it was the tallest building ever destroyed, succeeding the Singer Building. As of 2001, it is the third tallest building ever destroyed (behind the two World Trade towers). The Singer Building however, is still the tallest building demolished peacefully.
Building a new tower
In 2004, Radio Television Serbia commenced a series of fund-raising events in order to collect money to construct the building once again at the same place it was destroyed. In 2005, clearance of the site where the tower was destroyed began and on December 21, 2006 the construction of a new Avala Tower commenced. An agreement regarding its construction was signed by Dušan Basara, director of the construction sector of the Ratko Mitrović Company — which will be in charge of the construction of the tower — and general director of RTS, Aleksandar Tijanić.
Initially, completion of the new tower was expected in August 2008, but construction works were severely delayed. The opening date was pushed back for April 29, the tenth anniversary of its destruction. Radio Television Serbia reported on October 23 2009 that the tower has been completed.[1]
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March 2008 -
July 2008 -
August 2008 -
July 2009
Fund-raising
Many fund-raising events have been held for the collection of funds so a new tower can be constructed. One of the first was a match between Serbian tennis stars Ana Ivanović and Novak Đoković. All the proceeds went to the Avala Tower fund. Ceca Ražnatović (a Serbian folk singer) held a concert on June 15, 2006, with all the proceeds going to the Avala Tower fund. However, there are allegations that not all of the money raised was given to the fund. These allegations remain unproven. Radio Television Serbia has been running commercials for donations to rebuild the tower. According to a December 2006 report, when it was announced that the construction of a new Avala Tower would commence that same month, over €1 million was collected through fund-raising and donations.
See also
- List of tallest buildings in Serbia
- Architecture of Belgrade
- List of towers
- List of masts These are also often used as for TV broadcasts.
- List of tallest structures in former Yugoslavia
References
- ^ RTS article on tower completion, (in Serbian).