The Shukhov Tower is one of the world’s most beautiful and remarkable achievements of engineering. Despite the fact that the tower is an architectural monument, it doesn’t have access to tourists. It is located in a closed area, so to get there you’ll have to have great powers of persuasion.

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To begin with, a beautiful panorama from the observation platform.

Click on the picture to view larger image.

1. The Shukhov tower is a unique hyperboloid structure, designed in a form of a steel lattice shell. Located in Moscow. Built in 1920-1922. The author of the project is a great Russian engineer, an architect and a scientist, Vladimir Shukhov. The tower has been recognized as one of the most beautiful and remarkable achievements of engineering in the world.

2. The tower is located in the closed area, so the tourists are not able to approach. The elevator leads to the top.

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4. Shukhov was the first who designed the world’s first hyperboloid lattice structures. Now their principle is widely used in hundreds of different facilities: water towers, power transmission towers, masts of warships.

5. The elevator is set in motion by this engine.

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7. Now there is no transmitting equipment on the tower, only the antenna of mobile operators.

8. The observation platform.

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10. The Shukhov Tower has an elegant original lattice design, which provides a minimum wind load (the main danger for tall buildings). The openwork steel structure combines strength and lightness: a unit of height of the Shukhov Tower requires three times less metal than the unit of height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Having a height of 350 meters, the Shukhov Tower weights only 2.200 tons, while the Eiffel Tower with a height of 300 meters weighs about 7.300 tons.

11. The round tapered body of the tower consists of 6 sections, each 25 meters high. The lower section is mounted on a concrete foundation base, 40 meters in diameter and 3 meters in depth. The elements of the tower are riveted together. What is interesting, the tower was being built without using scaffolds and cranes. The upper sections were being assembled inside the lower one, lifted and put on each other. During more than 80 years the Shukhov Tower served as a support for large antennas of radio and television stations.

12. 5 minutes in the elevator and you’re on the top.

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16. Moscow

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21. The view of the “Moscow City” complex.

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24. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the White House and “Don Stroy” residential complexes.

25. The Scarlet Sails apartment complex is seen on the horizon.

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32. Luzhniki Stadium.

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34. The view on the Kremlin.

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