Bell Tower of Berlin Olympic Stadium

The Bell Tower stands at the western end of the Olympiastadion in Berlin. Werner March designed the 77-metre-high observation tower in 1934. Its steel skeleton was covered with dressed limestone. After the Second World War Soviet troops accidentally set the tower’s contents on fire. British engineers demolished the unstable structure in 1947. The original Olympic Bell weighed 9.60 tons and survived the fire. It fell 77 metres, cracked, and could no longer ring. In 1956 the bell was rescued only to be used as a target for anti-tank ammunition. Today it serves as a memorial. The tower was rebuilt between 1960 and 1962 to the old plans, now reaching 77.17 metres. Inside hangs a 4.50-ton bell with the German Federal Eagle, the Brandenburg Gate and Olympic texts. It rings the note F sharp. Visitors climb to the top for a wide panorama over Berlin, Spandau, the Havel Valley, Potsdam, Nauen and Hennigsdorf.