Telecommunication Tower of US-Forces Heidelberg, Military communication tower in Heidelberg, Germany.
The Telecommunication Tower of US-Forces Heidelberg is a reinforced concrete radio relay tower on the Königstuhl, one of the few US military relay towers built in this material. It replaced temporary steel lattice towers from the late 1940s and stands west of the Heidelberg telecommunications and television towers.
The tower replaced temporary steel lattice masts from the late 1940s and was built in the late 1950s in reinforced concrete. It served as a central relay for US Forces telephone links to Frankfurt and the Donnersberg, up to 80 km away. A call from the Pentagon was routed via Heidelberg and Frankfurt to Berlin. The station was deactivated in July 2007 and returned to Baden-Württemberg; the last unit was the 43rd Signal Battalion.
The tower reflects the American military presence in post-war Germany and how this installation shaped the city's technological landscape. Today, the structure remains a visible reminder of Cold War-era relations between Germany and the United States.
The tower stands on the Königstuhl ridge west of the Fernmeldeturm Heidelberg (T-COM) and the Fernsehturm Heidelberg (SWR), so the three masts can be compared from the same path. The site itself is not open to visitors; it is seen from the surrounding mountain trails and viewpoints.
The tower is one of very few US military microwave-relay towers built in reinforced concrete rather than steel lattice. A call from the Pentagon was routed via Heidelberg and Frankfurt to Berlin through three amplifier/relay stations and one switching station. In October 2010 a new antenna tip was mounted for the BOS digital radio network.
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