Funkhaus am Raderberggürtel
Former headquarters of Deutsche Welle in Cologne, and at 138 metres the tallest building ever demolished in Germany.
Before its demolition, the high-rise ranked as Cologne's third-tallest building. It stood at Raderberggürtel 50, right next to the Deutschlandfunk building.
Source: Wikipedia
At a Glance
- Type
- Former broadcasting tower (high-rise)
- Location
- Raderberggürtel 50, Cologne
- Height
- 138 metres
- Inaugurated
- 1980
- Design
- Planungsgruppe Stieldorf
- Use until 2003
- Headquarters of Deutsche Welle
- Notable for
- Tallest building ever demolished in Germany
After being dismantled without demolition blasting, the 138-meter tower—once Cologne's third-tallest building—became the tallest building ever conventionally demolished in Germany.
History
Construction began in 1974, the topping-out ceremony took place on 24 May 1977, and the official inauguration followed in 1980. From the early 1980s the building served as Deutsche Welle's Cologne headquarters while also housing Deutschlandfunk. In 2003, marking the broadcaster's 50th anniversary, Deutsche Welle relocated to the Schürmann-Bau in Bonn's government quarter, partly due to asbestos contamination in the building.
Demolition
In 2013 it was announced that the tower would be torn down to make way for a residential complex with 500 units, planned for completion by 2019. A controlled explosion was initially considered but would have required extensive stripping-out beforehand because of the asbestos. The demolition, originally set for spring 2017, was pushed back to 2018, and ultimately the explosion plan was dropped in favour of a conventional top-down deconstruction. Work began with cranes in 2019 and concluded in early 2021.
Good to Know
Since its demolition, the building holds the record as the tallest structure ever torn down in Germany.
Timeline
- 1974Construction begins on the broadcasting center for DW and DLF
- 1977Topping-out ceremony on 24 May
- 1980Official inauguration of the broadcasting center
- 2003Deutsche Welle relocates to Bonn
- 2013Demolition and housing redevelopment plans announced
- 2016Planned demolition postponed from 2017 to 2018
- 2019Conventional demolition work begins
- 2021Demolition ends in early 2021
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
You might also like — related or nearby
Funkhaus Köln (Deutschlandfunk Tower)
since 1978The 102-metre Funkhaus Köln in the Raderthal district has housed the studios and editorial offices of Deutschlandfunk since 1979. Listed as a protected monument since 2024, the tower with its unusual suspended structure can be explored on regular public guided tours.
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Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-09-10
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