Fernmeldeturm Mannheim, Television and observation tower with rotating restaurant in Mannheim, Germany

Fernmeldeturm Mannheim is a 217.8-metre concrete telecommunications tower between Luisenpark and the left bank of the Neckar. Its smooth pale shaft carries a wider drum with a ring of dark glass windows and an overhanging rim, holding an observation deck at 121 metres and a revolving restaurant at 124 metres. Above it rise a ribbed white section with stacked rings and a red-and-white banded mast.

Architect Erwin Heinle designed the tower, which was built between 1973 and 1975 to broadcast radio and television signals across the region. The construction belongs to a generation of reinforced concrete towers raised in Germany during the 1970s, a period of major investment in public broadcasting infrastructure.

The tower was a public attraction of the 1975 Bundesgartenschau, and in its first weeks it drew more than 2,000 visitors a day to the observation platform and about 600 to the restaurant. The revolving restaurant sits at 124 metres, the observation deck at 121 metres. The tower was placed under monument protection in 2025.

The observation deck offers a wide view over Mannheim, the Rhine valley, and forested hills in the distance, with clear days allowing sight of the Vosges mountains. A visit is best enjoyed in good weather, when visibility is highest and surrounding towns stand out clearly.

In 1994, a helicopter struck the upper section of the tower, prompting structural adjustments and reinforced safety protocols. The incident became a turning point in discussions about flight routes near tall buildings in German urban areas.