Riga Radio and TV Tower

The Riga Radio and TV Tower stands on Zakusala island, in the Daugava River, in Riga, the capital of Latvia. Its highest point, at the top of the antenna, is 368.5 m, which makes it the tallest tower in the European Union and the third tallest in Europe after the Ostankino Tower and the Kyiv TV Tower. It rests on three slanting legs.

It was built between 1979 and 1989 with money from the Soviet central government. Its restaurant, called Veja roze ('Wind Rose'), at 93 m, served visitors until 2006. The tower has been closed to visitors since 2019 for a renovation project, and work is expected to be done by the end of 2029.

Design and strength

The design was chosen from the Georgian architect Kims Nikuradze, with other credited designers. Materials included dolomite from Saaremaa, Karelian granite and ironwork prefabricated in Chelyabinsk. The tower is built to withstand winds up to 44 metres per second without noticeable vibration, helped by three 9.1-tonne dampers, and to survive a magnitude 7.5 earthquake. Its planned lifetime is 250 years.

Three legs

The bottom 88 metres are made up of three pillars and a central building. Two fast sloping lifts, in two of the pillars, climb this part in just 42 seconds, and the third pillar holds a staircase. It is one of only three tall towers in the world with three pillars; the others are the Avala Tower in Belgrade and the Zizkov Tower in Prague.

On the globe

Look for Riga on the Baltic coast of Latvia, northern Europe.