Not everyone knows that such an object as the Shukhov Tower actually belongs to the wonders of the modern capital of the Russian Federation.
This high-rise building can be seen from different parts of the city, and amazing landscapes of Moscow open up from its upper part.
General Description
It should be noted that the Shukhov tower in Moscow has several other names. In narrow, most often professional, circles, it is called the Shukhov Radio Tower, Shukhov TV Tower or Shabolovskaya TV Tower.
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 for two whole years, from 1920 to 1922 of the last century.
During its operation, the construction belonged to the Ministry of Communications. Now, since 2001, the Shukhov Tower has been at the disposal of FSUE RTRS.
Today it is not used for its intended purpose and serves as a location for cellular transmitters.
Howget to the sights of the city?
The Shukhov Tower, whose photos are increasingly appearing in magazines and brochures dedicated to interesting places in the Russian capital, is located in Moscow, on the street. Shabolovka.
It is definitely not possible for curious tourists to get lost, because finding an object is quite simple. To do this, you will need to get to the Shabolovskaya metro station and walk about 300 meters.
In extreme cases, you can ask passers-by or residents of the microdistrict where the Shukhov Tower is located, and they will be happy to guide you to your destination.
Building features
From a technical point of view, the Shukhov Tower consists of separate sections, each of which was assembled on the ground by specialists, and then lifted up with winches. After that, already at a height, the parts of the structure were interconnected with special extra strong rivets.
According to the original project, the height of the Shukhov Tower was supposed to be quite impressive, about 350 m. However, circumstances forced us to redraw the plan of the plan. The country was experiencing a catastrophic shortage of metal, so 160 m is the maximum length available at that time.
A 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 onseveral 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 lack of steel, therefore, after conferring, they settled on a tower 150 m high.
In October 1919, the Shukhov Tower, whose address 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 unpretentious. 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 museums of the city) was not built as quickly as we would like. The workers complained that the boards and boards always arrived very late, and the metal was very reluctant to stand out at all.
Author V. G. Shukhov personally took part in the construction, traveled to institutions, coordinated the supply of building materials, ordered rations, and sometimes literally with a fight achieved timely wages for workers.
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 personally attended every ascent. And gradually the Shukhov Tower in Moscow began to take shape.
Shukhov, despite the problems of a personal nature, devoted himself to the construction of everything. At the end of the summer of 1919, his son died, in March 1920, his mother. In June 1921, the following shock happened: during the rise of the fourth section, the third broke. One of the cables broke, and the fourth section fell, damaging the first two that make up the base of the tower. Victims, fortunately, were avoided, but from that day Shukhov began interrogations, trials and commissions. As a result, he was awarded the so-called "conditional execution", which could become quite real if the tower had not been completed by the specified deadline.
The Shukhov Tower, which is familiar to us, the photo of which can be seen 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 she served as a "business card" of television throughout the USSR. Trial television broadcasting from this facility was first conducted in 1937, and two years later, in 1939, regular broadcasts were already conducted from there.
The design gradually lost its meaning. The opening of the more modern and powerful Ostankino Tower in 1967 played a decisive role in this.
What the tower looks liketoday
But still, the Shukhov Tower on Shabolovka still played an important role in the life of Russians. How? The fact is that after the fire at the Ostankino TV tower in 2000, this very facility supported the broadcasting of the main channels for a year and a half.
To date, architects around the world have recognized it as a unique and outstanding masterpiece of engineering.
World fame and significance of the strategic object called Shukhov Tower, the photo of which can be viewed in great detail, is also confirmed by the awards of various exhibitions. Her models have taken part in almost all prestigious European expositions of recent years.
For example, the image of the radio tower was used as a logo in Paris, at the Pompidou Center, at the "Engineering Art" exhibition. And in 2003 in Munich, at an event called "The Best Designs and Structures in the Architecture of the 20th Century", a 6-meter-high gilded prototype of the Shukhov Tower was installed. In addition, this structure is described in detail in many European books on the history of architecture.
In 2006, at the global scientific conference "Preservation of the Architecture of the 20th Century", which was attended by 170 experts from 30 countries, the Shukhov Tower was recognized as a Russian architectural masterpiece and a World Heritage Site.
According to the data provided by the site for the protection of the object "Active Citizen", the Shukhov Tower is currently protected by the state, recommended for inclusion in the listsUNESCO World Heritage Site, but not accessible.
Works 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 state, arguing that it was derelict and falling apart.
Today, architects have several options for restoring the object. One of them proposes to create around it (in the likeness of the Eiffel Tower) a recreation area. It is supposed to place business, museum and cultural complexes here.
In 2011, V. Putin ordered to allocate 135 million rubles from the Federation budget during 2011-2013. for the design and reconstruction of the facility.
In June 2012, the tower was surveyed by an unmanned helicopter. With its help, a three-dimensional model of a Moscow landmark was created with distortions applied to it that appeared over time.
In the same year, the competition for the privilege to conclude 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 fund and the great-grandson of the brilliant engineer said that the project worth 2 million euros was paid for by foreign institutions that deal with the problems of architecture, engineering and physics.
Need for restoration
During the entire period of operation, an engineering structure has neverhas not been overhauled. Back in 1992, the need for urgent repairs was identified. The Shukhov Tower Foundation proposed several options for the restoration of this unique building.
The main idea is to make the closed area adjacent to the tower a tourist area, build parks, ponds, museums and a concert venue.
It is also proposed to move the structure to one of the following sites:
- Gorky Park;
- VDNH;
- Kaluga outpost area.
There are a lot of people who oppose the transfer, among them representatives of the Active Citizen resource play a special role. "The Shukhov Tower should be located in its historical place, otherwise it will simply destroy the world masterpiece," they say.
Plans for transfer: arguments for and against
In 2014, the Ministry of Communications and Mass Media reported that the tower had gone from pre-accident to progressive destruction.
Representatives of the state authorities offered to dismantle the object completely and restore it elsewhere.
But 38 leading foreign experts and architects, as well as residents of the Shabolovka district, immediately opposed the transfer and analysis 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 Shukhovskaya Foundationtower"?
The head of the fund of the same name is the great-grandson of the famous engineer - Vladimir Fedorovich Shukhov. Today it offers a comprehensive reconstruction of the area around the tower. According to the European experience in the restoration of unique architectural structures, it is necessary to create an 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 stands for the creation of a kind of center of science, art and culture at the base of the building, which will include the museum of V. G. Shukhov, a business center and a set of public buildings.
The organization at the international level invites both institutions and companies, as well as leading engineers, architects and experts to cooperate.
Interesting facts about the tower
Shukhovskaya is in fact a unique hyperboloid construction, made in the image of a bearing metal mesh shell. At present, the tower is recognized by experts around the world as one of the most ingenious achievements in engineering art.
It features a unique, sleek metal mesh design that minimizes the impact of wind, which is a major hazard to tall structures. The steel structure is particularly lightweight and durable.
The conical round body of the tower is composed of six 25-meter sections, the lower of which is placed on a special three-meter-deep concrete foundation. Parts of the tower are fastened with rivets. The tower was builtcranes, only needed one coordinating worker upstairs.
Before the war, the building passed an extraordinary check: the mail plane caught on the support cable of the tower during the flight. The vehicle was blown almost to pieces, and the turret only staggered a little, but, fortunately, remained standing.
It is very interesting that in the days of 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 safe broadcast, go around the tower and touch its beams at the base.
Positive feedback 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 building, an original and very beautiful object, a real treasure of Russia.
They claim that in the dark and in clear weather, towering over the urban stone jungle, it seems majestic.
People hope that the tower will remain in Moscow and will finally be restored.
Opponents of keeping the object
Unfortunately, there are some. Supporters of the demolition of the site insist that, in its current state, the tower disfigures the appearance of the microdistrict.
There is only one conclusion: Shukhovskaya definitely needs to be restored, and it should be done as soon as possible.
