Avala TV Tower

Old Avala TV Tower destroyed in NATO bombardment - new tower currently under construction

Avala TV Tower (Serbian: Авалски торањ / Avalski toranj) was a 202.87 metre (666 ft) tall telecommunication tower located on Avala mountain near Belgrade, Serbia. On December 21, 2006 the reconstruction of Avala Tower commenced.

1 History
2 Building a new tower
- 2.1 Fund-raising
3 Trivia
4 See also
5 External links

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 a 135 metres there was an all glass area to which visitors could come via two quick elevators. On the top of the tower there was an antenna, which was at first used for black and white television transmission. In 1971 the antenna was replaced by a new one used for colour 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. It quickly became the symbol of Belgrade.

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.

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.

Completion of the new tower is expected in August 2008.

Fund-raising

New tower in construction. March 2008

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 (currently ranked 2nd in the world) and Novak Đoković (currently ranked 3rd in the world). 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 euros was collected through fund-raising and donations.

Trivia

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The tower had numerous unique characteristics and records:

It was the only tower in the world to have an equilateral triangle as its cross section.
It was one of very few towers not perched directly into the ground, but standing on its legs. The legs were a tripod, making it one of the few towers to be constructed in that manner.
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 both of the World Trade towers).