Shukhov Towers. Simplicity and genius. Television Shukhov Tower on Shabolovka. Help TV tower on Shabolovka
The Shukhov Tower is a slender, graceful beauty, one of the most cozy and discouraging symbols of Moscow. Address: Moscow, Shabolovka street, 37. This high-rise building is visible from different parts of the city, and from its upper part open amazing landscapes capital Cities.
From the history of creation
This television tower was built according to the design of academician Vladimir Grigorievich Shukhov in the period 1919-1922. The designer developed the project for the television tower on Shabolovka in 1919. It is called differently: Shukhov TV Tower, Shabolovskaya TV Tower, Shukhov Radio Tower.
According to the original plan, the building was supposed to be 350 meters and surpass the world-famous Eiffel Tower. It was conceived to be 3 times lighter than the French design and was supposed to weigh 2.2 kilotons versus 7.3 kilotons in Paris.
But due to the devastation that reigned after the October Revolution in the Union, the high bar had to be lowered. There was a catastrophic shortage of steel to construct the facility. During the construction process, the height of the television tower was reduced to 160 meters.
Design Features
The architecture of the building can be confidently called bold and innovative. This is a hyperboloid structure in the form of a steel mesh shell.
A hyperboloid in architecture is a special linear rigid structure. In the Shabolovskaya Tower it is brilliantly laconic. Presented in the form of straight steel profiles intersecting each other. These profiles are based on strong bases - rings, creating a clear geometric pattern - a grid.
At first glance, this mesh structure is very fragile. But it has an invaluable advantage - the wind load on it is minimized. For a structure made entirely of metal beams, the Shukhov Tower has a record low weight.
Simplicity and practicality are felt in everything; the details did not require special development and consisted of rivets and profiles.
Features of tower construction
Construction of the Shukhov Tower began on March 14, 1920. The project was personally supervised by Lenin. The designer Shukhov himself personally took part in the construction. The tower was not built as quickly as we would have liked. It consists of 6 sections, each of which is 25 meters long. The lower section is installed on a concrete foundation with a diameter of 40 meters and a depth of 3 meters.
Each section was assembled at the bottom and then lifted into place using special winches. One coordinating worker at the top of the tower helped. No scaffolding or cranes were used in construction.
Mesh design provided resistance to the destructive force of winds, which usually affects high-rise buildings. The sections were fastened with rivets. The openwork mesh design has an amazing margin of safety. Without major repairs, it faithfully served people for 90 years!
Construction difficulties
An accident occurred during construction. While lifting the fourth section, the third broke. The fourth fell, damaging the second and first. Military danger was looming for the Soviet Union; the tower was supposed to provide reliable communication between the capital and the regions. The government's plans were thwarted; the Soviet government could not forgive this.
Engineer Shukhov was put on trial and sentenced to death, fortunately, a suspended sentence. This meant that if the construction could not be completed on time, the execution would turn from a conditional one into a real one. Vladimir Grigorievich himself at this time was experiencing a deep personal drama - his mother and son died in the same year.
So, with the Sword of Damocles over his head, the talented engineer continued his work and completed it brilliantly. In just 2 years, the tower grew to its present size. The brilliant designer laid the basis for the construction method of weaving peasant willow baskets.
The tower became the prototype of numerous structures of this kind not only in the Soviet Union (9 similar structures were created), but also in China, Japan, and Switzerland.
Extraordinary strength
Lightness and simplicity of construction are combined with amazing strength. This is evidenced by one very interesting fact. In 1941, a mail plane flew past the tower. As a result of the malfunction, it touched a metal cable hanging from the structure and secured at its base.
The tower received a powerful blow; the plane, unable to withstand the collision, fell to pieces in one of the nearby courtyards. A commission assembled to identify damage to the tower did not find any. The structure was not damaged, and there was absolutely no need for repairs.
History of broadcasting from the Shukhov Tower
The Shukhov Tower began broadcasting radio broadcasts immediately after its construction. Moscow residents saw their first television programs only in 1939. Four days a week, the happy owners of the first television sets - there were about a hundred of them in Moscow at that time - could enjoy ideological documentaries about party congresses.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, broadcasts stopped. The tower again turned into the capital's radio transmitter. In the year of Victory, television returned to the Soviet Union, and the Shukhov TV Tower acquired the status national symbol and became the personification of Soviet television.
Interestingly, during the first live broadcasts, the presenters had no right to make even the slightest mistake. They came up with a ritual “for good luck”: with the thought of a prosperous ether, they walked around the tower and touched its beams at the base.
Broadcasts from the Shukhov Tower discontinued 2002. The territory in which it is located is considered closed. You can enter the site only after a specially issued permit. You can also simply walk up to the fenced area and admire the legendary structure.
World fame
The fame of the Shukhov TV Tower spread far beyond Russia. In many European countries this building is described in books on the history of architecture. The international commission recommended including the structure on the list World Heritage UNESCO. In 2016 the tower was included in list of World Cultural Monuments with protected status.
In Munich, at an exhibition dedicated to the best buildings of architecture, there was a gilded six-meter model of the Shukhov Tower.
Current state of the tower
During its existence, the tower has never undergone a full restoration. In 2003, the Shukhov Tower Foundation was approved, headed by the engineer’s great-grandson, Vladimir Shukhov. Experts determined that the tower was in danger, and in 2009 a decision was made to carry out restoration work.
Not everyone knows that such an object as the Shukhov Tower is actually a miracle modern capital Russian Federation.
This high-rise building is visible from different parts of the city, and from its upper part amazing landscapes of Moscow open up.
general description
It should be noted that the Shukhov Tower in Moscow has several more names. In narrow, most often professional, circles it is called the Shukhov Radio Tower, Shukhov TV Tower or Shabolovskaya
In general, this innovative hyperboloid structure, equipped with a load-bearing steel shell, was built according to a special project developed by Academician V. G. Shukhov. The grandiose construction lasted two whole years, from 1920 to 1922 of the last century.
During its operation, the structure belonged to the Ministry of Communications. Now, since 2001, the Shukhov Tower is at the disposal of the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "RTRS".
Today it is not used for its intended purpose and serves as a location for transmitters cellular communications.
How to get to the city attractions?
Shukhov Tower, photos of which are increasingly appearing in magazines and brochures dedicated to interesting places Russian capital, located in Moscow, on the street. Shabolovka.
Curious tourists will definitely not get lost, because finding the object is quite easy. To do this, you will need to get to the Shabolovskaya metro station and walk about 300 meters.
As a last resort, you can ask passers-by or residents of the neighborhood where the Shukhov Tower is located, and they will be happy to guide you to your destination.
Structural features
From a technical point of view, the Shukhov Tower consists of separate sections, each of which was assembled by specialists on the ground and then hoisted up with winches. After this, already at a height, the parts of the structure were connected to each other with special, especially strong rivets.
According to the original design, the height of the Shukhov Tower should have been quite impressive, about 350 m. However, circumstances forced us to redraw the plan. The country was experiencing a catastrophic shortage of metal, so 160 m was the maximum length available at that time.
Brief history of the Shukhov Tower
In 1919, when a military danger was brewing for the USSR, in order to ensure constant and reliable communication between Moscow and the outskirts of the republic and several Western states, V.I. Lenin signed a decree on the urgent construction of a radio tower.
By this time, Shukhov was already working on several similar projects. It was decided that this design should be taken as the basis for the future technological miracle (at that time, of course).
The Shukhov Tower on Shabolovka was supposed to surpass the world-famous Eiffel Tower. First of all, it was three times lighter than the French design: 2200 tons versus 7300 tons. However, the economic collapse did not allow the specialist’s dream to come true. In the Union at that time, as already mentioned, there was a catastrophic shortage of steel, so, after consulting, we settled on a 150 m high tower.
In October 1919, the Shukhov Tower, the address of which is well known to both Muscovites and guests of the capital, found its foundation.
In general, it should be noted that Shukhov’s project was ideal for a country devastated by civil war and revolution. The design of the tower was thought out to the smallest detail, but still quite simple. Simplicity and practicality were felt literally in every detail, and all the details did not require special development and were mainly rivets and profiles.
Despite this, the Shukhov Tower in Moscow (photos of those times can be seen in the city’s museums) was not built as quickly as we would like. The workers complained that the boards and planks always arrived very late, and the metal was released very reluctantly.
To further reduce the cost of assembling the object, the architect came up with the idea of assembling sections 25 m high and weighing up to 300 pounds on the ground, and then lifting them up with cables and winches. He was personally present at every climb. And gradually the Shukhov Tower in Moscow began to take shape.
Shukhov, despite personal problems, devoted himself entirely to the construction. At the end of the summer of 1919, his son died, in March 1920 - his mother. In June 1921, the following shock occurred: while lifting the fourth section, the third broke. One of the cables broke and the fourth section fell, damaging the first two that made up the base of the tower. Fortunately, no casualties were avoided, but from that day on Shukhov began interrogations, trials and commissions. As a result, he was awarded the so-called “conditional execution”, which could have become quite real if the tower had not been completed by the specified deadline.
The familiar Shukhov Tower, a photo of which can be examined in more detail both in textbooks intended for architectural faculties and in tourist brochures dedicated to Moscow, began work in 1923.
People of the older generation will note that for quite a long time it served as the “calling card” of television throughout the USSR. Test television broadcasting from this facility was first carried out in 1937, and two years later, in 1939, regular broadcasts were already carried out from there.
The design gradually lost its significance. The opening of the more modern and powerful Ostankino Tower in 1967 played a decisive role in this.
What the tower looks like today
But still, the Shukhov Tower on Shabolovka still played an important role in the lives of Russians. How? The fact is that after the fire in 2000, for a year and a half, this particular facility supported the broadcasting of the main channels.
Today, architects around the world have recognized it as a unique and outstanding masterpiece of engineering.
The world fame and importance of a strategic object called the Shukhov Tower, photos of which can be viewed in great detail, are also confirmed by awards from various exhibitions. Its models take part in almost all prestigious European exhibitions recent years.
For example, the image of a radio tower was used as a logo in Paris, at the Pompidou Center, at the exhibition "The Art of Engineering". And in 2003 in Munich, at an event called “The best designs and structures in the architecture of the 20th century,” a gilded prototype of the Shukhov Tower, 6 m high, was installed. In addition, many European books on the history of architecture describe this structure in detail.
In 2006, at a planetary-scale scientific conference “Preservation of 20th Century Architecture,” in which 170 experts from 30 countries took part, the Shukhov Tower was recognized as a Russian architectural masterpiece and
According to data provided by the website for the protection of the Active Citizen object, the Shukhov Tower on this moment protected by the state, recommended for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List, but access to it is closed.
Work carried out already in the 21st century
British architect N. Foster wrote a letter in March 2010 demanding that the tower be completely reconstructed to its original condition, citing the fact that it was in disrepair and was collapsing.
Today, architects have several options for restoring the site. One of them proposes to create a recreation area around it (in the likeness of the Eiffel Tower). Business, museum and cultural complexes are expected to be located here.
In 2011, V. Putin ordered the allocation of 135 million rubles from the Federation budget during 2011-2013. for design and reconstruction of the facility.
In June 2012, the tower was inspected by an unmanned helicopter. With its help, they created a three-dimensional model of a Moscow landmark with distortions applied to it that appeared over time.
In the same year, the competition for the privilege of concluding a contract aimed at developing working and design documentation for the reconstruction of the tower was won by Quality and Reliability LLC, which created a global reconstruction project for more than ten and a half million rubles.
The manager of the Shukhov Tower Foundation and the great-grandson of the brilliant engineer said that the project worth 2 million euros was paid for by foreign institutes that deal with problems of architecture, engineering and physics.
The need for restoration
During its entire operation, the engineering structure has never undergone major repairs. Back in 1992, the need for urgent repairs was determined. The Shukhov Tower Foundation proposed several options for restoring this unique structure.
The main idea is to turn the closed area adjacent to the tower into a tourist area, building parks, ponds, museums and a concert venue.
It is also proposed to move the structure to one of the following areas:
- VDNH;
- Kaluga outpost area.
There are quite a lot of people who oppose the transfer, among them representatives of the Active Citizen resource also play a special role. "The Shukhov Tower should be located on its own historical place, otherwise it will simply destroy a world masterpiece,” they say.
Transfer plans: pros and cons
In 2014, the Ministry of Communications and Mass Communications reported that the tower had moved from a pre-emergency state to a state of sequential destruction.
Representatives of government authorities proposed to dismantle the object completely and restore it in another place.
But 38 leading foreign experts and architects, as well as residents of the Shabolovka district, spoke out against the transfer and dismantling of the country’s architectural heritage.
Under public pressure, the Government decided not to dismantle the tower and ordered the Ministry of Communications to take emergency measures at its own expense to protect the facility.
What is the Shukhov Tower Foundation?
The head of the fund of the same name is the great-grandson of the famous engineer, Vladimir Fedorovich Shukhov. Today he proposes a comprehensive reconstruction of the area near the tower. According to European experience in restoring unique architectural structures, it is necessary to create the appropriate infrastructure in the adjacent area and ensure the correct visual presentation of the object. Thus, it is quite possible to attract serious investments.
The Shukhov Tower Foundation advocates the creation at the base of the building of a kind of center of science, art and culture, which will include the V. G. Shukhov Museum, a business center and a complex
The organization at the international level invites both institutes and companies, as well as architects and experts, to cooperate.
Shukhovskaya is actually a unique hyperboloid structure, made in the image of a load-bearing metal mesh shell. Today, the tower is recognized by experts around the world as one of the most ingenious achievements of engineering.
It has a unique, elegant metal mesh design, which ensures minimal wind influence, which is the main danger for high structures. The steel structure is particularly light and durable.
The conical round body of the tower is made up of six 25-meter sections, the lower of which is placed on a special concrete foundation three meters deep. The tower parts are fastened with rivets. The tower was built without cranes, requiring only one coordinating worker at the top.
Just before the war, the structure underwent an extraordinary inspection: a mail plane caught on the support cable of the tower during its flight. Vehicle almost shattered into pieces, and the tower only shook a little, but, fortunately, remained standing.
It is very interesting that during the very first live broadcasts, when the presenters had no right to make even the slightest mistake, they came up with a ritual “for good luck”: with the thought of a successful broadcast, walk around the tower and touch its beams at the base.
Positive reviews from tourists
The tower is undoubtedly one of the symbols of Moscow. Tourists who had the opportunity to see this famous, third most important tower in Moscow, consider it a magnificent structure, an original and very beautiful object, a real treasure of Russia.
They claim that in dark time days and in clear weather, towering above the urban concrete jungle, it seems majestic.
People hope that the tower will remain in Moscow and will finally be restored.
Opponents of preserving the site
Unfortunately, there are some. Supporters of the demolition of the building insist that, in its current state, the tower disfigures the appearance of the neighborhood.
There is only one conclusion: Shukhovskaya definitely needs to be restored, and this should be done as soon as possible.
My routes around Moscow since childhood have run past the Shukhov Tower. Here I went with my parents to the center, and then, right with a view of the tower, I taught German, and before that I went on an excursion to the television center, which was located in the tower. There I saw for the first time how a real television program was edited, and then it was akin to magic. Therefore, I have the warmest memories from the Shukhov Tower.
From the window of my house in the south of Moscow I could see the Ostankino TV tower, or better - it always seemed to me - the Shukhov Tower. She, this slender, graceful beauty (and there is no doubt that the Shukhov Tower is a “woman”), is one of the most comfortable and somehow discouraging symbols of Moscow. Ideal proportions, a complex design for its time, even geographical position in the city (not pretentious and not the most central) - all this makes it one of my favorite places in Moscow.
History of the tower
The Shukhov television tower was built according to the design of academician Vladimir Shukhov in 1920–1922. It has several names: Shukhov TV Tower, Shabolovskaya TV Tower, Shukhov Radio Tower. For its time, the architecture of the building was very bold and innovative. It was a hyperboloid structure made in the form of a load-bearing steel mesh shell.
What is a hyperboloid? In architecture, this is the name for a special linear rigid structure. Even if the beams are hinged, the hyperboloid will still retain its shape under the influence of external forces. Therefore, hyperboloid structures are considered very durable and, importantly, have low material consumption. Other examples of hyperboloid buildings are television towers in Sydney, Guangzhou, shopping mall"Khan Shatyr" in Astana.
The Shukhov Tower in Moscow consists of separate sections. Experts assembled each of them on the ground and then lifted them up using winches and blocks. It is noteworthy that the construction of the tower was carried out without any scaffolding or cranes. The total height of the Shukhov Tower is 160 meters (the original project mentioned a height of 350 meters, but due to a shortage of metal it had to be reduced). At the top, parts of the structure were connected with special rivets.
An accident occurred during the construction of the tower. Vladimir Grigorievich Shukhov wrote about her in his diaries: “June 29, 1921. When lifting the fourth section, the third broke. The fourth fell and damaged the second and first at seven o’clock in the evening.” The Soviet government did not forgive this, and the engineer was sentenced to death, but, fortunately, it was conditional. Therefore, the work continued under the guidance of the master.
True, not as fast as we would like. Workers constantly complained about a shortage of building materials. Wood arrived with long delays; metal had to be literally begged for. V.I. Lenin, who was then in power, understood the importance and necessity of the tower: in 1919, a military danger was brewing for the Soviet Union, and the tower was designed to provide reliable communication between the capital and the regions. That is, at first the Shukhov Tower played the role of a radio tower.
In general, the government and engineers initially planned that the Shukhov Tower would surpass the famous Eiffel Tower in height. Our advantage was in lightness: it weighed 2,200 tons versus 7,300 tons of the Parisian tower. However, as I already said, there was a catastrophic shortage of metal in the USSR, so we had to save money and cut the height of the tower. After another meeting, we decided to stop at an altitude of 160 meters.
In this shot, taken in the winter of 1921–1922, engineer Shukhov and specialists stand in front of the tower they built.
Old-timers of Moscow remember very well that the Shukhov Tower was “ business card"Soviet television. The first test television broadcast was carried out in 1937, and in 1939 the first regular broadcasts in the USSR were already conducted from here.
With the construction of the more modern and powerful Ostankino tower in 1967, Shukhovskaya lost its significance. The frame shows the beginning of construction of the Ostankino TV tower (height - 540 meters).
In 1939, another incident occurred with the Shukhov Tower, which proved the strength of its structure. A passing single-engine mail plane caught a thick support cable stretched from the top of the tower to the ground. The plane shattered into pieces, and the tower shook, but stood. Engineer Shukhov's hyperboloid passed this extraordinary test.
Who is Vladimir Shukhov
At the end of his life, Shukhov became a member of the State Committee of the Oil Industry, a correspondent for the Russian Academy of Sciences, and even a member of the Soviet government. In recent years, Vladimir Grigorievich led a reclusive lifestyle, communicating only with old friends. He died on February 2, 1939, and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.
In the winter of 2008, a monument to Vladimir Shukhov was unveiled on Turgenevskaya Square in Moscow.
The bronze figure of the engineer is made in full height. Shukhov holds the drawings in his hands. The base of the monument resembles in shape and outline the famous creation of the master, the tower on Shabolovka. Next to the monument there are bronze benches, two of which are made in the shape of a log with carpentry tools lying on it, because the engineer Shukhov was a creator not only on paper, but also in practice.
What's wrong with the tower now?
The Shabolovka Tower is a unique, outstanding object of engineering thought of the 20th century. In 2006, at an international scientific conference, more than a hundred experts from 30 countries recognized the Shukhov Tower as an architectural masterpiece. As an object of the Russian avant-garde, it is recommended to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In 2010, the famous British architect Norman Foster wrote an open letter demanding that the tower be completely reconstructed to its original condition. He motivated this by the fact that the tower was in disrepair. And the architect was right, because for almost a century of its existence the tower has never been repaired.
In 2014, a serious threat loomed over the Shukhov Tower: the Ministry of Communications, on whose balance sheet the object is located, wanted to dismantle it and move it to VDNKh or to the Park named after. Gorky. However, architects and even the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation were against dismantling the tower: the riveted structure, in their opinion, could not withstand disassembly and secondary reassembly. In addition, many defenders of the tower had doubts that it would be assembled at all, and not left somewhere “in storage until better times.”
Thanks to strong public outcry, the tower was defended. They reinforced it with additional staples and promised not to touch it for now. However, apparently, the issue is not completely closed, because the architectural monument needs constant support and care.
Since 2002, the tower has not been used for its intended purpose (only cellular communication sensors are placed on it). However, she greatly helped the city in 2000 after the fire at the Ostankino TV tower. Then, for more than a year and a half, it was from Shukhovskaya that the main channels were broadcast.
Today there is the Shukhov Tower Foundation, headed by the great-grandson of the famous engineer Fedorovich Shukhov. On behalf of the foundation, he proposes to carry out a comprehensive, consistent reconstruction of the area next to the tower in order to create infrastructure here and ensure a harmonious visual presentation of the object. The foundation also plans to create a Center for Science, Art and Culture here. Anyone can go to the foundation’s website and donate some amount to preserve the legendary tower of the capital.
Excursions are regularly held in the Shabolovka area (and there is something to see there besides Shukhovskaya). But it is now impossible to get into the territory of the tower, much less climb it (it is equipped with an elevator for three people). You can approach the fence that surrounds the tower. The distance from it to the building is about 50 meters, so you will be able to see the Shukhov Tower.
How to get there
The Shukhov TV Tower is located almost in the very center of Moscow. The exact address: Shabolovka street, 37.
The most convenient way to get to the place is from the Shabolovskaya metro station: the tower is located across the road from the station, it can be seen immediately after exiting the subway.
The second option is from the Oktyabrskaya metro station. You will have to walk along the street. Shabolovka: move along the tram tracks all the time, and after a kilometer and a half you will see an aerial structure on the left.
Sometimes, on cloudy days, the top of the tower dissolves into fog, which gives it an even more weightless and mysterious look.
You can turn onto Shukhov Street, and then onto Khavskaya to look at the tower from the other side.
After visiting the Shukhov Tower, you can continue your walk to the side Central Park culture and recreation named after Gorky or visit the Donskoy Monastery.
90 years ago, a radio transmitting tower was put into operation in Moscow - the creation of engineer Vladimir Grigorievich Shukhov.
In Moscow, on Shabolovka Street, there is a metal antenna tower of an original design, made in the form of a load-bearing steel mesh shell. This tower is called Shukhovskaya in honor of its creator - the Russian engineer, architect, and scientist, academician Vladimir Grigorievich Shukhov. The Shukhov radio tower was built in 1920-1922.
The decree on the construction of the tower was adopted in 1919, since the Khodynka radio station, built in 1914, could no longer cope with the constantly growing volume of radiograms from the capital.
Engineer Vladimir Shukhov, who invented a method for constructing mesh hyperboloid towers, proposed a design for a tower in the form of a single-cavity hyperboloid of revolution. Similar designs had been familiar to him since 1886, when he created a 25-meter mesh tower for the All-Russian Industrial and Art Exhibition in Nizhny Novgorod. He used the principle of hyperboloid towers in hundreds of structures: water towers, power line supports, masts of warships.
According to the original design, the Shukhov radio tower on Shabolovka reached 350 meters and weighed only 2,200 tons (the Eiffel Tower, at a height of 305 meters, weighs 7,300 tons). The tower was to consist of nine hyperbolic spatial sections, installed on top of each other and firmly connected to each other into a single high-rise system.
But Shukhov’s initial plans could not be realized. In difficult conditions civil war and blockade construction is so high tower It turned out to be a difficult task - there was not enough metal and funds. Shukhov was forced to develop a second design for a tower with a height of 148.5 meters and
with an estimated weight of 240 tons, which is almost 10 times less than the original design. For the construction of the tower, metal was allocated from the reserve reserves of the military department.
The Shukhov Tower has an original, elegant mesh design, which ensures minimal wind load, which is the main danger for tall structures. The shape of the tower sections is single-sheet hyperboloids of revolution, made of straight beams resting their ends on ring bases. The openwork steel structure combines strength and lightness. Despite its openwork and weightlessness, the tower turned out to be surprisingly durable. In 1939, a single-engine plane crashed into a thick cable stretched at an angle from the top of the tower to the ground. The tower received a strong blow, but an examination showed that it did not even require repairs.
The round conical body of the tower consists of 6 sections, each 25 meters high. The lower section is installed on a concrete foundation with a diameter of 40 meters and a depth of 3 meters.
The lower sections have more powerful cross-sections of the frame elements. The average diameter of the lower support ring is 40.3 meters, and the upper one is reduced to 32.3 meters. The inclined rectilinear frame posts are formed by 48 mutually intersecting paired elements. The tower elements are fastened with rivets.
The construction of the tower was carried out without scaffolding or cranes. The upper sections were assembled in turn inside the lower ones and were lifted onto each other using blocks and winches.
On March 19, 1922, the unique antenna tower began broadcasting radio programs that were received in remote cities and on the outskirts of Russia, as well as by many European radio stations. In 1927, the Shukhov Tower began working with a 40-kilowatt radio broadcast transmitter installed on Shabolovka, created by the Nizhny Novgorod Radio Laboratory under the leadership of radio engineer and scientist Mikhail Bonch-Bruevich. The station was named "New Comintern".
The first steps of domestic electronic television are also associated with the Shukhov Tower. In 1936, when they began to create the Moscow Television Center, it was decided to install a transmitting television antenna on it. To connect the television feeder (transmission line) to the antenna, a metal truss was additionally installed along the entire height of the structure, and at the levels of 141.7 meters, 144.3 meters and 148.4 meters of the tower, three horizontal technical platforms were built for the installation of technological equipment.
Technical buildings were built next to the tower, technological equipment was installed, and the necessary cable lines were laid to the transmitting turnstile antenna located at the very top of the tower.
At the end of 1937, experimental television broadcasts began from the Shukhov Tower, and in March 1939 the Moscow Television Center began regular work.
For many years, the image of the Shukhov Tower was the emblem of Soviet television and the screensaver of many television programs, including the famous “Blue Light”.
In the 1960s, the main broadcasting load was moved to the new Ostankino tower.
In 1991, the top of the Shukhov Tower was dismantled and a superstructure with transmitting antennas of 3 new radio broadcast transmitters operating in the FM band, new to Russia, was installed at the top using a helicopter.
Due to the installation of additional structural elements, the height of the tower increased to 160 meters.
In 2000, after the fire at the Ostankino TV tower, Shabolovka supported the broadcast of the main TV channels for a year and a half.
The Shukhov Tower on Shabolovka is recognized by architects around the world as outstanding, a unique masterpiece engineering art. The global significance of the Shukhov Tower is confirmed by the exhibition of its models at prestigious architectural exhibitions in Europe in recent years. At the exhibition "Engineering Art" at the Pompidou Center in Paris, the image of the Shukhov Tower was used as a logo. At the exhibition "The best designs and structures in the architecture of the 20th century" in Munich in 2003, a gilded six-meter model of the Shukhov Tower was installed. The designs of Vladimir Shukhov are described in detail in many European books on the history of architecture. At the international scientific conference "Heritage at Risk. Preservation of 20th-century architecture and World Heritage", held in Moscow in April 2006 with the participation of 170 specialists from 30 countries, the Shukhov Tower was recognized as a masterpiece of the Russian architectural avant-garde and a world heritage site.
The Shukhov Tower is protected by the state and, along with seven other objects located in Russia, is recommended for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The radio tower is federal property and is used under the right of economic management by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Russian Television Broadcasting Network".
Currently, the radio tower is not actually used - only cellular repeaters are installed on it. for many years.
For a long time no restoration work was carried out on it. Based on the results of the survey, in 1971 work was carried out to strengthen the tower structures, including concreting the support units. Initially, the base of the tower was movable, but during the strengthening it was concreted, thereby violating the Shukhov kinematic principle of construction. The essence of this principle was the presence of a certain amount of mobility and self-compensation to external loads. In addition, concreting the support units caused accelerated corrosion of the metal at the base of the tower. They tried to give additional strength to the tower using welded elements, which were attached to the supporting riveted mesh shell with bolts. International experts called this method barbaric in relation to an architectural masterpiece.
Innovations entailed a deterioration in the technical condition of the structure, and there was a threat of physical loss of structures that were in dire need of repair and restoration work.
In 2003, a resolution of the State Duma of the Russian Federation was adopted on the legacy of Vladimir Shukhov. Especially to preserve achievements in the field of engineering science and architecture, the Shukhov Tower Foundation was established, the director of which is Shukhov’s great-grandson. The foundation is concerned about the condition of the tower.
According to experts, she is in great danger- the metal is already highly susceptible to corrosion; The “legs” of the tower are concreted, which leads to an increase in the load on it and to its deformation, etc. The design of the tower is very specific, and therefore restoration is very difficult. At the same time, options for developing the area adjacent to the tower are being considered.
Architects have prepared several projects for the reconstruction of the Shukhov Tower; according to one of them, an area with recreation areas may appear around the tower (similar to Eiffel Tower), a museum, business and cultural complex.
In March 2010, the famous British architect Norman Foster wrote an open letter demanding the restoration of the Shukhov Tower. The text said that the famous structure "is in disrepair and is collapsing." Foster noted that the tower needed to be restored to its original condition.
In January 2011, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin ordered allocations from the federal budget for the design and reconstruction of the facility in 2011-2013. According to the document, the state customer is Federal agency for press and mass communications, the developer is the Federal State Unitary Enterprise "Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network" (RTRS).
In 2011, RTRS held a competition for the right to conclude a contract for the development of design and working documentation for the reconstruction of the tower. It was won by Quality and Reliability LLC, which for 10.5 million rubles created a project that, as of March 2012, was being approved by Glavexpertiza.
In June 2012, the tower was created to create a three-dimensional model of the structure with all the distortions that had appeared over time. According to the engineer’s great-grandson, president of the Shukhov Tower Foundation, Vladimir Shukhov, the cost of the project is two million euros. It is financed by foreign institutes dealing with problems of physics, engineering and architecture.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources.
About the famous tower on Shabolovka and its terrible condition has been remembered from time to time for many years: the last time in early February, when the sharp-tongued deputy head of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, Alexey Volin, suggested simply disassembling it. Allegedly, the tower could collapse on the heads of passers-by at any moment, and “to avoid a man-made disaster in the center of Moscow, it is necessary to dismantle the tower as soon as possible.”
One of the most recognizable objects of the Soviet avant-garde is once again in the spotlight. City defenders began to talk about an impending crime. The engineer’s great-grandson Vladimir Shukhov, architect Norman Foster and others spoke in defense of the tower.
The creator of the design in the form of mesh metal shells was the Russian engineer Vladimir Shukhov. He designed his first tower using this technology for the largest pre-revolutionary All-Russian Industrial and Art Exhibition, which took place in Nizhny Novgorod in 1896. The light and beautiful tower created a sensation - it was the world's first hyperboloid structure. After the exhibition closed, it was bought by the famous philanthropist, manufacturer, and owner of glass factories, Yuri Nechaev-Maltsov. Then the tower was dismantled under the supervision of Shukhov himself and transported to the estate of the manufacturer Polibino in the Lipetsk province, where it was reassembled.
The design of the tower became successful, and Shukhov patented his invention: at that time there were many businessmen who stole ideas for commercial gain. Shukhov towers began to be erected in many cities and large enterprises as lighthouses, power transmission masts, water pumping structures. They were distinguished by lightness, economy of steel and, most valuable, reliability of the design. It was these qualities and characteristics that Soviet Russia required when the task arose of building a mast for the first radio center in Moscow.
The first project of the tower on Shabolovka was developed by Shukhov in 1919. The tower had an estimated height of 350 meters and was supposed to be 45 meters higher than the Paris Eiffel. At the same time, the estimated weight of the Shukhov tower was 2,200 tons versus 7,300 tons of the Eiffel. And the metal consumption was almost three times less, which was extremely important for a country whose industry and economy were almost destroyed. True, the project still had to be revised due to economic considerations: reduce the height to 148.3 meters and reduce the number of sections from nine to six.
Construction began in March 1920 and was carried out using the telescopic method, that is, each new section was assembled at the base of the tower and lifted up on winches without scaffolding or cranes. The work lasted intermittently for two years: installation had to be frequently interrupted due to a lack of materials. And during the lifting of the fourth section of the tower in the bitter cold in the winter of 1922, an accident occurred - three workers died. Shukhov himself was then accused of sabotage and sentenced to suspended execution with a suspended sentence until construction was completed. Nevertheless, in record time it was possible to restore the fourth section, build two more, and begin the first radio broadcasts on March 19. The charges against Shukhov were dropped and the suspended execution was cancelled.
The light openwork design was elegant and simple. The shape of the tower sections is single-sheet hyperboloids of revolution, made of straight beams resting their ends on ring bases. This design turned out to be very stable and withstood a collision in 1939 with a postal plane from Kyiv, which, due to a breakdown, touched a cable stretched at an angle from the top to the ground with its wing. The examination showed that Shukhov's structure withstood the impact and did not need repair.
Hyperboloid Shukhov's designs are no longer used in our country in the second half of the 20th century, but they turned out to be very popular abroad
The tower immediately became a symbol of new times. It was she who inspired Alexei Tolstoy to create the novel “The Hyperboloid of Engineer Garin.” It was with her that the first regular television broadcasts in the USSR began in March 1939, which were received by more than a hundred televisions.
The tower itself already in the 1950s became a symbol of Soviet television and the screensaver of many television programs, including the New Year's “Blue Light”. She retained her leadership in Moscow until the construction of the Ostankino TV tower in 1967. Unfortunately, Shukhov’s hyperboloid designs ceased to be used in our country in the second half of the 20th century, but they turned out to be very popular abroad and are described in detail in many European books on the history of architecture. And at the exhibition “Engineering Art” at the Pompidou Center in Paris, the image of the Shukhov Tower was used as a logo.
For example, in 1963, the 108-meter Shukhov Kobe Port Tower was built in the port of Kobe in Japan. And just five years ago, the 600-meter hyperboloid mesh Shukhov Canton Tower was built in Guangzhou, which became a new symbol of modern China. Meanwhile, the Moscow tower stands without reconstruction. Fortunately, the idea of the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications to “disassemble and reassemble” was rejected, otherwise the original object would simply be lost and a modern copy would appear in its place. There is also a federal law on objects cultural heritage, and Article 243 of the Criminal Code, according to which only scientific restoration of an object of this status is possible.
