One of the most striking sights of the Nizhny Novgorod region is the Shukhov Tower on the Oka. Despite the rather long history of its origin, this amazing monument of industrial architecture has not lost its popularity today. What is so special about it? How complicated is its design? And where did its construction begin?
Brief description of the building
The Shukhov Tower on the Oka is a unique building up to 128 m high, located in the Russian city of Dzerzhinsk. According to the idea of the builders, it was supposed to be a specific power line with a large number of sections and partitions. This building was assembled from high-grade steel in the form of a high mesh tower. The spectacle, let's say, is amazing! And what is the view from it? Just a sight for sore eyes!
Design features
The Shukhov Tower on the Oka River, surrounded by trees, rises on one of the banks of the river in the wilds of dense vegetation. At the very base of the tower, a strong and perfectly preserved concrete ring foundation with a diameter of about 30 m still flaunts.
Special attention is paid to the tower design itself, effectively divided into sectors in the form of an elongated circle or ellipse. At the same time, the distance from one sectional circle to another is about 25 m. It is interesting that if you look at this tower from afar, it will seem extremely high and elongated. If you approach the very base of the building and look at it from the bottom up, then you will certainly have the feeling that the tower is bending to the side. But this, according to local residents, is only a wonderful optical illusion. Here is such an unusual Shukhov tower on the Oka.
What attracts the attention of tourists?
If you pay attention to the photo of the Shukhov tower on the Oka, you immediately think of its uniqueness. Just see how perfect it is. This amazing structure is considered one of the greatest wonders of engineering ever erected within Russia. Similar buildings can only be found in Spain and Japan. However, even there they were erected in the image and likeness of this unique attraction.
The Shukhov Tower is the most beautiful building in the city, which tourists from different countries regularly come to see. At the same time, their attention is attracted not only by the structure itself, but also by the incredibly picturesque area in which it is located. These are stunning sandy beaches, trees, greenery and other vegetation that you can admire for hours. But how did the Shukhov Tower on the Oka appear? Why was it built and by whom?
Short historical background on the construction
This design was built in 1929. It was designed by a famous engineer and scientist Vladimir G. Shukhov. In addition to this amazing tower, two more were built. True, each of them can not be compared with this giant tower, because one was 20 m high, and the second - 68 m.
All three buildings had a mesh structure and a unique porous structure. These were beautiful supports for power lines, reminiscent of a kind of twin towers. Initially, they were conceived as supports for electrical wires stretched on both sides of the river. However, after the direction of the current supply was changed, the need for the rest of the towers disappeared by itself.
In the end, it was decided to leave only the largest, and the rest ordered to disassemble. Later, it was decided to keep these buildings in their original form and put them on the lists of cultural monuments of Russia. Despite this, intruders who are alien to cultural values simply dismantled both towers and with impunity passed the details of the buildings to the metal reception center. According to local residents, the vandals sawed off ceilings and beams, mercilessly violating the overall construction of the building. A huge scandal flared up, which was even covered by many European media.
So there remained one so unusual Shukhov tower on the Oka. In Dzerzhinsk there are no more similar buildings, but there is one similar to Shabolovka in Moscow.
What is the state of the tower today?
Currently, the tower is under the protection of IDGC of Center and Volga Region. Thanks to the leadership of the region and representatives of this company, it was possible to achieve the reconstruction of the building in 2007. Rumor has it that the work was done colossal. The tower parts were literally dismantled and assembled using helicopters, equipment and people. According to preliminary estimates, the price of the issue of the first wave of work amounted to about 54 million rubles.
During the restoration work, structural overlapping structures were planned to be repaired and the soil at the base of the tower was strengthened. But before that, the foundation of the structure was repeatedly flooded and subjected to pressure from ice, groundwater and weather. Despite this, the workers coped with the task. The base for the tower was finally strengthened.
An excellent addition to the reconstruction was the arrangement of the promenade, located near the legendary building.
How to get to the Shukhov tower on the Oka?
If you want to visit this famous tower and take a picture on its background, you need to know how to get to it. For example, you should first get to the railway station of the city of Dzerzhinsk.
Then you need to transfer to the regular bus number 105, running from the terminal station of the railway station to the Dachny settlement. Further from the final destination you need to walk. According to local residents, the road will not take you much time. The main thing is to follow along the right bank of the Oka. The same path can be done on personal vehicles. To do this, you can go down from the station along a remarkable dirt path going from the Dachny settlement side. And from there, and just a stone's throw to the sensational Shukhov tower on the Oka. User reviews about this facility can be read below.
What do tourists think about this building?
According to locals, you need to visit this legendary tower at least once. This amazing place is famous for its picturesque nature, beauty and simply unusual tower design.
They say that only from afar you might think that the structure is flimsy, dilapidated and about to collapse. In fact, visitors say, this is a kind of illusion. The ceiling of the tower is made of durable and reliable material, which has serious protection against strong, almost hurricane winds. Even if you stand next to the tower, it will not fall on you and will not collapse.