Fernmeldeturm Wahnbek

The Wahnbek radio tower stands in the village of Wahnbek, part of Rastede near Oldenburg in Lower Saxony. It is a standard concrete telecommunications tower built in 1974 by the Deutsche Bundespost. The shaft rises 134 metres above the surrounding housing estate, with service platforms at 75 and 83 metres.

The tower once held the Guinness world record for the tallest and largest illuminated advent wreath. In 1999 local residents first outlined both platforms with bulbs and linked them to form a glowing cylinder. The next year a six-metre illuminated tip was added, bringing the recognised height to 140 metres. Four six-metre candles, one for each Sunday in Advent, were introduced in 2003. The display ran from the first Advent Sunday until Epiphany, visible up to 30 kilometres away when skies were clear.

Inside the concrete shaft are technical rooms for the broadcasting equipment. Outside, the tower sits among the streets Emsstraße, Am Turm and Sandbergstraße, with the service yard entrance on the last of these. After a minor electrical fire in 2009 the Christmas lights were permanently switched off, ending the tower’s record-breaking role as the world’s largest advent wreath.