Vilnius TV Tower

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The Vilnius TV Tower (Lithuanian: Vilniaus televizijos bokštas) is a 326.5 metre-high (1071 feet) building in the Karoliniškės microdistrict of Vilnius, Lithuania. It is the tallest building in Lithuania, and is occupied by the SC Lithuanian Radio and Television Centre (Lithuanian: AB Lietuvos radijo ir televizijos centras).

The building was designed by V. Obydovas, the engineering section was designed by K. Balėnas. The construction of the tower started on May 31, 1974, and the tower was completed on December 30, 1980. The weight of the whole structure is estimated at 25,000--30,000 tonnes. The structure is composed of a concrete base, a 190 m long hollow reinforced concrete pipe, a reinforced concrete saucer, and a 136 m long steel spike. Radio transmitters are housed in the lower part of the concrete tower with antennas attached to the steel spike.

The TV tower played a major role in the events of January 13, 1991, when 14 unarmed civilians lost their lives and 700 were injured opposing the Soviet military seizure of the tower.

The observation deck, at an altitude of 160 metres, houses the cafe "Paukščių takas" (Lithuanian for Milky Way), offering a picturesque view of the city and its surroundings, and sporting a rotating platform which revolves once every 45 minutes. High-speed elevators reach the cafe from ground level in 40 seconds. On clear days, visibility can extend as far as Elektrėnai, a city about 40 miles away to the west, whose power plants produced much of the electricity for Vilnius in Soviet times.

Bungee jumps are available to members of the public from the roof of the observation deck. A small museum dedicated to the January 1991 battle resides on the ground floor, and various markers in the surrounding area indicate places where Lithuanian citizens died while trying to maintain the blockade against Soviet troops.

During the Christmas season, the tower has been decorated as a huge Christmas tree since the year 2000. During World Basketball Championship in 2006 it was decorated with huge basketball basket.