Galați TV Tower: the concrete tower above the Danube city
The Galați TV Tower (Turnul de televiziune din Galați) is a slim reinforced-concrete tower for radio and television in the Danube port city of Galați, eastern Romania. It is best known for the three-storey cylindrical basket near its top, which holds a restaurant and radio and weather equipment.
A concrete TV tower in Galați carries a restaurant high above the Danube city, reached only by lift and, according to Wikipedia, perhaps the only one of its kind in Romania.
The story of the Galați TV Tower
The Galați TV Tower belongs to the era of reinforced-concrete broadcasting towers. Romanian Wikipedia says that construction started in 1967 and took about a year, ending in March 1968, while Wikidata records the start of construction in March 1968 and English and German Wikipedia give 1978 for its completion. Sources therefore disagree on dates, but they agree on the main idea: a tall, slim shaft of reinforced concrete carrying a basket and a steel mast with antennas.
Inside the concrete column runs the lift that takes visitors to the upper part. There stands a modular, cylindrical construction on three storeys. According to the Romanian description, the lowest level holds a restaurant, and the two upper levels hold radio and weather installations. Above it comes a further structure of steel scaffolding with radio transmitters and receivers; the German article adds that the roof of the basket and the steel antenna carrier bear many dish and radio-link antennas.
The restaurant is the tower’s main claim to distinction. German Wikipedia puts the basket at a height of 86 metres and describes a revolving restaurant for 220 seated guests, called Perla Dunării, the Pearl of the Danube, with another restaurant in the building at the foot of the tower. Romanian Wikipedia says the upper restaurant has a diameter of 14 metres and is the only one in Romania divided into two levels with a large height between them. Besides broadcasting radio and television programmes, the tower also serves as a weather station. English Wikipedia describes a tower restaurant that is perhaps the only one of its kind in Romania, and German Wikipedia calls the tower the highest publicly accessible television tower in the country.
Curiosities about the Galați TV Tower
- English Wikipedia describes the tower restaurant as perhaps the only one of its kind in Romania.
- German Wikipedia calls it the highest publicly accessible TV tower in Romania and the only one with a revolving restaurant.
- The restaurant in the tower basket is called Perla Dunării, the Pearl of the Danube.
- The tower basket is reached only by lift, which runs inside the concrete column.
- Besides carrying radio and TV transmitters, the tower is also used as a weather station.
- Romanian Wikipedia says the diameter of the tower at the upper restaurant is 14 metres.
Tours near Galați TV Tower
Experiences in the area that you can book online with Viator:
GROUP Guided Day Trip to the Danube Delta, Tulcea - Letea
See details ›
Guided Birdwatching day trip to the Danube Delta - private program
See details ›
Danube Delta Tour from Tulcea to Mila 23, Letea Forest and Sulina
See details ›
Danube Delta PRIVATE boat trip to Letea Forest (guided tour)
See details ›Visiting the Galați TV Tower: what to know
- The tower is a working broadcasting structure; the sources do not say whether the restaurant and upper level are open now, so check the current opening hours before you go.
- The tower stands not far from the Danube bank, so it makes a natural viewpoint to understand the layout of the port city.
- The upper part is reached only by lift, which runs through the concrete shaft.
- Sources disagree on the height: English and Romanian Wikipedia give 110 metres, while German Wikipedia gives 150. The basket with the restaurant is at about 86 metres.
- Dinogetia, a Roman and Byzantine fortress about 10 km away, is the nearest other place on this site.
Opening hours, access and conditions can change. Check before you go.
Map: where Galați TV Tower is
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Photos of Galați TV Tower
Questions
Where is the Galați TV Tower?
It stands in the city of Galați, in eastern Romania, not far from the Danube bank.
How tall is the Galați TV Tower?
English and Romanian Wikipedia give 110 metres, but German Wikipedia says 150 metres. The tower basket is at about 86 metres.
Is there a restaurant in the Galați TV Tower?
Yes. The tower basket holds a restaurant, called Perla Dunării in German Wikipedia, and there is another restaurant at the base. Check the current opening hours before you go.
When was the Galați TV Tower built?
Sources disagree: Romanian Wikipedia describes construction in 1967–1968, while English and German Wikipedia give 1978 as the year of completion.
How do you reach the top of the Galați TV Tower?
Only by the lift that runs through the concrete column.
What is there to see near the Galați TV Tower?
Dinogetia is about 10 km away, Castrum Noviodunum about 39 km and the Mausoleum of Mărășești about 81 km.
Also nearby
Dinogetia
Tulcea · Roman and Byzantine fort near Galați
9.5 km away
Castrum Noviodunum
Isaccea · Roman fortress and Danube fleet base
39 km away
Mausoleum of Mărășești
Mărășești · memorial to the 1917 battle and 5,073 soldiers
81 km away
Halmyris
Tulcea · Roman fort and port with an early Christian crypt
102 km away