300 or 350. Continued Anniversary
In 2017, the Ostankino Television Tower celebrates its 50th anniversary. On November 5, 1967, the State Acceptance Commission Act of the main tower of the country was signed and Moscowites saw the first television flow broadcasted from Ostankino. The unique designs of the TV Tower and the most interesting cases that occurred during its construction were told to us by one of the leading participants of this grandiose project - Vladimir Travush, Academician of the Russian Academy of Architecture and Building Sciences (RAASN).
How did the idea to build a new TV tower in Moscow originate?
The necessity for building a giant “antenna” in Moscow arose in 1956 for a variety of reasons. First of all, it was required to increase the television service-area radius. The Moscow center on Shabolovka could not cope with this goal, transmitting a signal only within a radius of 60 km, so it was necessary to build additional free-standing repeaters. In 1956-1959 there were adopted a number of resolutions of the Council of Ministers of the USSR approving of building a television tower to cover the city and the region within a radius of 120 km directly from one source.
What about the location of the new TV tower? Was it originally intended for Ostankino or there were other options considered?
The Tower could be named Cheryomushkinskaya, because it was originally intended to build a television complex in that area. But pretty soon became clear that there was not enough free space on this territory, besides, a new high-rise building could interfere with the aircraft coming for a landing to Vnukovo airport. In 1959, a new territory was designated – it was a good-sized field occupied by vegetable gardens and wastelands in Ostankino. The new site chosen was more favourable, because was free from buildings and surrounded by a green massif. It was necessary only to correctly integrate a modern grandiose structure in the ensemble of this ancient district of Moscow.
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Text: Nina Konovalova