The Avala Television Tower is a tower on Mount Avali, near Belgrade.
Originally commissioned in 1965, it was demolished in the NATO bombing of FR Yugoslavia on April 29, 1999. After a three-year reconstruction, the Avala Tower was opened in the presence of the Serbian State Summit on April 21, 2010.
The Avala Tower was designed from 1959 to 1960 and was constructed from 1961 to 1964 and subsequently commissioned in 1965. It was 202.87 meters high. One of the most beautiful TV transmitters in Europe and the world came to fruition after five years of construction. The masterpiece of architecture, the only tower in the world to have a cross-section with an equilateral triangle that symbolized the Serbian tripod, was designed by architects Uglješa Bogunović and Slobodan Janjic, as well as by constructor, academician Milan Krstic. The construction of the tower was entrusted to the construction company Rad, Belgrade.
One hundred builders worked continuously installing more than 4,000 tonnes of reinforced concrete. The highlight of the job was the installation of a 60 meter high antenna, weighing about 25 tons, which was mounted by the masters of "Gosha" from Smederevska Palanka. In early May 1965, the tower got its final appearance and television and radio antennas were installed. At that time it was the only tower with a base in the shape of an equilateral triangle.
Previously, the restaurant was on a gondola at 118 m but closed since 1970.
Seemingly "thin", with three legs resting on the base blocks dug 1.4 meters into the rock, the tower withstood the tooth of time and the bumps of the basket "walking" in diameter of one meter. It was shot down on April 29, 1999 by a plane bomb during NATO's aggression on the FRY, the 37th day of the bombing.
Until the World Trade Center was demolished on September 11, 2001, the Avala Tower was the tallest demolished facility in the world.
The Avala Tower was one of Belgrade's trademarks. Travelers approaching Belgrade would know that they were within easy reach of the city when they saw the Avala Tower.
Removal of the remains of the tower began in May 2005 and lasted for 2 months. Considered one of Belgrade's important features, a decision was made to rebuild the tower, and the project was subsequently completed at the CIP Institute from August to December 2005. After that, initial funds were raised and on December 11, 2006, a contract was signed for the construction of the tower between the Property Directorate of Serbia, RTS and the company "Ratko Mitrovic".
Construction of the new tower began at the end of 2006. However, despite the emotional reasons for rebuilding the Avala Tower, many consider its importance in telecommunications to be highly debatable [4]. The Avala Tower Restoration Society has also been established to participate in fundraising for the renovation.
The renovation work began on 6 February 2007. The total value of the reconstruction is estimated at around 8.5 million euros, of which the Serbian government provided about 6 million, and on May 8, 2008, the city of Belgrade gave RTS 80 million dinars (about 1 million euros) for the construction of the tower.
The renovated tower was to be ceremonially opened on the 10th anniversary of its demolition. April 29, 2009 Due to weather, the works took longer, so the tower was completed on October 23, 2009. The tower does not work if the wind speed is greater than 13m / sec. The tower has two elevators and a restaurant at 119 meters or a lookout at 122 meters in height. The total height of the tower is 204.57 meters.
The plateau of the plinth of the tower of the triangular shape from which the legs rise at an elevation of 439 m above sea level. The tower is accessible via a ramp of 17.80 + 24.40 + 17.81 m in length and 4.20 m in width. The total height of the reinforced concrete structure is 136,650 m and the steel part is 67,920 m high, which together makes a total height of 204,570 m.
The lower part of the tower is a reinforced concrete three-leg bracket, which at an elevation of -4,000 m rests on foundations measuring 6.00 x 7.30 x 2.00 m. In the original version, the legs were articulated at an angle of 1.20 m and smaller in size. The entrance hall with the windshield is at an elevation of 12.40 m. From the hall one enters two lifts leading through the staircase to the gondola. The legs, from 17,100 to 19,100, merge with a 2,000 m thick reinforced concrete slab.
From the elevation of 19,100 m the tower tree begins. From 19,100 to 35,000 m, the tower's legs gradually transition to the basic shape of the tree. The tower tree is a reinforced concrete structure of a triangular box section. The equilateral triangle along the axis of the wall is 7.00 m long. The walls are 15 cm thick and at the corners there are reinforcements of circular shape 1,040 m in diameter. From a height of 102,780 m there are gondolas and platforms with a system of horizontal and oblique reinforced concrete beams and slabs.
First there is the PTT hall (height 102.93 m) and above it is a terrace with parabolic antennas (height 106.98 m). Then there is a TV room (height 115.38 m), above is a floor with a restaurant for about 50 seats (height 119.20 m), and above is a floor with an open viewing terrace, a lookout point (height 122.64 m) with transparent lexan .
At the top, the tree ends with a slab 1.50 m thick. The steel structure consists of three sections of four-walled gratings with a total mass of 67 tonnes.
