Näsinneula tower, Observation tower in Tampere, Finland
Näsinneula is a 168-metre observation tower in the Särkänniemi amusement park in Tampere, on the shore of Lake Näsijärvi. Its smooth concrete shaft, designed by Pekka Ilveskoski, narrows by two centimetres per metre and carries a dark circular observation deck at 120 metres with a café, an outdoor deck ten metres below, and the revolving Restaurant Näsinneula at 124 metres. A steel mast topped by a fibreglass mast rises above the deck.
Construction began in 1970 and workers raised the shaft using a slipform technique that added about four meters daily. After 33 days the frame stood complete, and the facility opened to visitors in summer 1971.
The name Näsinneula references the nearby Näsijärvi lake and means "needle", a term locals use in everyday conversation. Today people of all ages visit the revolving restaurant, where they watch the city pass beneath them during a meal.
Two elevators bring visitors up to the viewing platform in a short time, and the facility is accessible for wheelchair users. On clear days the view reaches far beyond the city, while during fog or rain clouds sometimes sit below the platform.
The weather beacon installed at the top in 1971 is operated by staff who set its lights according to forecasts from the Finnish Meteorological Institute. The tower also carries Digita's radio transmitters and two amateur-radio repeaters, OH3RNE, on the 2-metre and 70-centimetre bands; the former can sometimes be heard as far as Lahti.
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