| Torrespaña | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Alternative names | El Pirulí |
| General information | |
| Status | Completed |
| Type | Broadcast tower |
| Location | Madrid, Spain |
| Coordinates | 40°25′13″N3°39′51″W / 40.420278°N 3.664167°W /40.420278; -3.664167 |
| Construction started | 17 February 1981 |
| Inaugurated | 7 June 1982 |
| Cost | 350 million₧ |
| Owner | Cellnex |
| Height | 232 m (761 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Lifts/elevators | 1 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Emilio Fernández Martínez de Velasco |
| Main contractor | DragadosAgroman |
Torrespaña (lit. transl. Towerspain) is a 232 m (761.15 ft) highreinforced concrete freestandingbroadcasting tower inMadrid, Spain. It is the central and main transmission node of theterrestrialtelevision and radio networks in the country as well as the station that covers the city and itsmetropolitan area. National and regional television channels and radio stations broadcast from there. The tower, currently owned byCellnex, is located in adepression at theSalamanca district near theM30 highway.
Torrespaña is also the name of the television production center at the foot of the tower where the central news services ofTelevisión Española (TVE) are located. Both facilities were built jointly byRadiotelevisión Española (RTVE) on the occasion of the1982 FIFA World Cup.
Torrespaña is a 220 m (721.78 ft) highreinforced concrete freestandingbroadcasting tower that reaches 232 m (761.15 ft) with the antenna on top. Its shaft supports eight floors and more than four hundred different antennas.[1] Despite its height and panoramic views, it is not open to the public.
Torrespaña is the central and main transmission node of theterrestrial television and radio networks in Spain. It is in visual contact with the production centers of the main national broadcasters. Through a radio link, they send their signal to the tower, which is in charge of relay it to all therepeaters in the country.[1]Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE),Mediaset España,Atresmedia andPRISA, among others, broadcast their television channels and radio stations nationwide through Torrespaña.
The tower is also the broadcasting station that covers Madrid and itsmetropolitan area. Regional broadcasters, such asRadio Televisión Madrid (RTVM), also broadcast throughout the tower.
It is also used by the broadcasters as a link to receive the signal fromremote broadcasts.[1]
Torrespaña was built as part of the infrastructure works for the1982 FIFA World Cup, which allowedTelevisión Española (TVE) –who held the monopoly on television broadcasting in the country and was in charge of producing the official live television feed of the event– to carry out a major modernization with the construction of the broadcasting tower and the production center at its foot. Both facilities were designed by RTVE's architect Emilio Fernández Martínez de Velasco.[2]
Construction work on the tower began on 17 February 1981 and was completed in just twelve months. It was carried out by the temporary union of the companies Dragados and Agroman and it costed 350 millionpesetas. The freestanding construction technique used was pioneering, as it had never been used before, and it makes the tower stand by its own weight. The idea of installing arevolving restaurant in the tower was initially considered, but was soon rejected for safety and economic reasons.[3]
The tower and the production center were inaugurated on 7 June 1982 bythe King andthe Queen of Spain, although the tower was in operation since the night of 18 May.[3] The production center, which served as theInternational Broadcast Centre during the World Cup, was occupied by TVE's central news services after it.[4]
On 19 May 1989, in response to theEuropean Economic Community (EEC) requirement to separate thenatural monopoly of infrastructure management from the competitive operations of running services, and with the imminent arrival ofcommercial television, RTVE's broadcasting network, including the Torrespaña tower, was transferred toRetevisión.[5][6] TVE kept the production center at the foot of the tower where itsmaster control room, its centralnewsroom, the24 Horas news channel,Telediario andInforme Semanal studios are still located.
In December 2003,Abertis acquired Retevision, thus the Torrespaña tower became their property under Abertis Telecom.[7] On 1 April 2015, Abertis Telecom was renamed toCellnex to prepare for itsstock launch.[8]
Torrespaña is popularly known as "ElPirulí", given the similarity between the tower and a particular type oflollipop of conical shape very popular in Spain in the eighties.
Media related toTorrespaña at Wikimedia Commons