The History:
This large site started being constructed in 1937 but suffered slight delays in upgrades due to the second small disagreement, the transmitter buildings somehow survived the war and were used by the German army between 1941 and 1944. After the war two transmitters were taken from eastern Germany and brought here.
Still in operation is one 257 metre tall mast, two at 238 metres and two at 150 metre tall. There are a number only in operation at certain times of the day and some completely inactive. One 240 metre antenna was demolished a few years prior to this visit but I was thankfully able to climb that on a previous trip.
The Mission:
There with two Lithuanian friends, we had good intel on which towers were safe to climb, but there was always the risk.. We believe the masts we climbed were standing at around 150 metres, but it was hard to be sure which were which.
We arrived just as the sun was setting and knew we had a race against the light. Splitting up, 3 took one tower while 2 of us took another. It was just one continuous ladder to the top, no platforms and no good points for a break.
The final rung:
Out of the 5 of us there, 3 of us made it to the top. It one of the hardest climbs I've ever done, but I could never past up the chance to experience something like this.
Thanks for taking a look!
This large site started being constructed in 1937 but suffered slight delays in upgrades due to the second small disagreement, the transmitter buildings somehow survived the war and were used by the German army between 1941 and 1944. After the war two transmitters were taken from eastern Germany and brought here.
Still in operation is one 257 metre tall mast, two at 238 metres and two at 150 metre tall. There are a number only in operation at certain times of the day and some completely inactive. One 240 metre antenna was demolished a few years prior to this visit but I was thankfully able to climb that on a previous trip.
The Mission:
There with two Lithuanian friends, we had good intel on which towers were safe to climb, but there was always the risk.. We believe the masts we climbed were standing at around 150 metres, but it was hard to be sure which were which.
We arrived just as the sun was setting and knew we had a race against the light. Splitting up, 3 took one tower while 2 of us took another. It was just one continuous ladder to the top, no platforms and no good points for a break.
The final rung:
Out of the 5 of us there, 3 of us made it to the top. It one of the hardest climbs I've ever done, but I could never past up the chance to experience something like this.
Thanks for taking a look!
