Standing as the landmark of Neu Zippendorf – no, of all Schwerin – it rises above the city: the television tower, once 126 meters tall. Long before the prefabricated housing estate Großer Dreesch was built in 1971, construction began on a broadcasting station. Back then, the site was still forest. Work started in 1957, and in 1964 the tower was officially opened.

But it was not only about the television tower, designed by Günther Kollmann – right beside it, a 273-meter-high steel transmission mast reached into the sky. Since 1957 it had already been broadcasting East German television and various FM radio programs. With the establishment of the microwave relay network, the transmission of the GDR’s second program was now ensured. The complex also included an administration building.
Unlike many other television towers, Schwerin’s has no circular cross-section, but the shape of a Reuleaux triangle. Its tower basket follows the same design. The tower itself is made of reinforced concrete, while its 32-meter antenna mast is made of glass-fiber-reinforced polyester. The cabin was clad in aluminum. The tower comprises six technical floors, located between 75 and 93 meters high. Above them lie the machine rooms. The foundation extends up to six meters deep into the ground, varying in thickness depending on soil depth, with a diameter of around 12 to 26 meters.
In the summer of 2025, the tower lost its status as the tallest building in the state capital. With the help of a helicopter, the tower’s tip was shortened by about ten meters, leaving the landmark at 116 meters in height. According to a spokeswoman for Deutsche Funkturm GmbH, the component – a fiberglass cylinder – was dismantled because it was no longer technically required. Today, broadcasting services for television and radio are handled by the adjacent mast. With the tower shortened, Schwerin Cathedral, at 117.5 meters, once again became the tallest building in the city.

Once the tower was the pearl of gastronomy

Where nothing happens today, many guests gathered from July 1964 onward. The television tower not only contained broadcasting technology but also offered a viewing platform more than 97 meters high. Just above it, the café “Pearl of Gastronomy” opened. Anyone who ordered a drink here needed a head for heights – but was rewarded with a breathtaking view over all of Schwerin. After all, the tower stood even taller than the neo-Gothic west tower of Schwerin Cathedral – itself the highest church tower in East Germany. The term Fernsehturm, “television tower,” was therefore ambiguous: technology for television, and distant views across forests and fields.

A federal funding initiative aims to breathe new life into the television tower

After reunification, broadcasting operations passed from the GDR’s Deutsche Post to the Deutsche Bundespost. Renovations to the structure and technical systems became necessary, so the café was temporarily closed between 1990 and 1999. Eight years later, it closed for good due to economic reasons. Since then, the tower has no longer been open to visitors. The current operator, Deutsche Funkturm GmbH, has not found a new tenant for the café. But there are rays of hope. In November 2019, federal funding was set in motion for the Schwerin television tower. It is intended to enable the permanent reopening of the monument as a tourist attraction. The Bundestag’s budget committee confirmed funding of 500,000 euros from the federal cultural budget. This approval marks a milestone for the Schwerin tower. Municipal funding is also under discussion.
The money could be used to replace the windows and elevator, renew insulation for walls and ceilings, and reinstall the water supply and sanitary systems. A new heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system is also necessary. Prospects for once again enjoying the view from the tower therefore look good. The city hopes this will not only preserve a landmark but also enrich Schwerin with gastronomy, art, culture, and a local meeting point.