TV tower Florian Dortmund

It is Dortmund's landmark and a guarantee for a fantastic all-round view of the region: the Florian television tower was once the tallest tower in Germany and is a real "child" of the first federal garden show in 1959. Its history is closely linked to that of Dortmund's Westfalenpark - and has some anecdotes ready. Be it a naming competition or an overly long tie.

At the Federal Horticultural Show in 1959, Dortmund presented itself from its truly green side - in the midst of the construction work. For this purpose, the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Hain, laid out in 1885, the Buschmühlenpark, the site of a rubbish dump and a wild allotment area were combined to form the new Westfalenpark. Dortmund architect Will Schwarz won the competition to build an observation tower. With the financial help of the Deutsche Bundespost, which used the tower as a radio relay station, and the Hoesch company, which provided the steel and cement, the tallest tower at the time was built over a foundation eight meters deep and 220 meters high in just eleven months of Germany. Also unique was the now closed revolving restaurant, which rotated slowly at a height of almost 138 meters. Incidentally, a naming competition for the tower was unsuccessful; Suggestions such as "Langer Lulatsch" or "Dortmunder Indexfinger" met with little approval overall. Only years later was the television tower officially named Florian, after the patron saint of gardeners.

In addition to an all-round view of Dortmund from the viewing platform of the television tower, the Westfalenpark offers an extensive program of recreation, nature and events. A cable car and a small train, numerous children's playgrounds, the children's museum mondo mio! as well as the rainbow house and the species protection house with other offers for children and youth groups make the facility a popular destination for families. In addition, the park is a regular backdrop for concerts, cultural events and fireworks.