Shukhov Tower on the Oka River: description, design, history and photo

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 even today. What is special about it? How complex is its construction? And where did the construction begin?

Short description of the building

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 should have been 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, amazing! And what kind of view does it have? Just a sight for sight!

Design Features

Shukhov's tower on the Oka, surrounded by trees, rises on one of the banks of the river in the thickets of dense vegetation. At the very base of the tower there is still a solid and well-preserved concrete ring foundation with a diameter of about 30 m.

Separate attention deserves the very design of the tower, effectively divided into sectors in the form of an elongated circle or ellipse. At the same time the distance from one section 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 go to the very base of the building and look at it from the bottom to the top, then you will certainly have a feeling that the tower is bending to the side. But this, according to local residents, is only a beautiful optical illusion. Here is an unusual Shukhov tower on the Oka River.

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 look how perfect it is. This amazing structure is considered one of the outstanding miracles of engineering thought ever erected within Russia. Similar structures can be found except in Spain and Japan. However, even there they were erected in the image and likeness of this unique landmark.

Shukhov Tower is the most beautiful construction of 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 terrain in which it is located. These are stunning sandy beaches, trees, greenery and other vegetation, which you can admire for hours. But how did the Shukhov Tower appear on the Oka? What was it built for and by whom?

A short historical reference on the construction

This construction was built in 1929. It was designed by the well-known engineer and scientist Vladimir Grigorievich Shukhov. In addition to this amazing tower were built two more. True, each of them can not compare with this giant tower, because one was 20 m in height, and the second - 68 m.

All three buildings had a mesh construction and a unique porous structure. These were beautiful supports for power lines, reminiscent of the original twin towers. Initially, they were conceived as supports for electric wires stretched on both sides of the river. However, after the direction of the current was changed, the need for the other towers disappeared by itself.

As a result, it was decided to leave only the largest, and the others 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 handed over details of buildings to the metal reception center with impunity. According to local residents, the vandals cut down floors and beams, mercilessly violating the general construction of the building. A huge scandal broke out, which was even covered by many European media outlets.

So it remained to stand one such unusual Shukhov tower on the Oka. In Dzerzhinsk, there are no more similar buildings, but there is similar to Shabolovka in Moscow.

In what state is the tower today?

At the moment, the tower is protected by IDGC of Center and Volga Region. It was thanks to the leadership of the region and the representatives of this company that we managed to achieve the reconstruction of the building in 2007. It is rumored that the work was done tremendously. The details of the tower were literally disassembled and collected using helicopters, equipment and people. According to preliminary estimates, the price of the issue of the first wave was about 54 million rubles.

During the restoration work, the bearing structural ceilings were planned and the soil at the base of the tower was reinforced. But before that the foundation of the structure was repeatedly flooded and subjected to pressure from ice, groundwater and the effects of bad 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 in Dzerzhinsk.

Then you need to transfer to the shuttle bus at number 105, plying from the terminal station of the railway station to the holiday village. Further from the final destination you need to walk on foot. 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 way can be done on private vehicles. To do this, you can move down from the station along a remarkable dirt path running from the side of the holiday village. And from there it's also a stone's throw away to the sensational Shukhov Tower on the Oka River. User reviews of this structure can be found below.

What do tourists think about this construction?

As the locals say, you need to visit this legendary tower at least once. This amazing place is famous for its picturesque nature, beauty and simply unusual design of the tower.

They say that only from afar it is possible to think that the structure is flimsy, dilapidated and just about to collapse. In fact, visitors tell, this is a kind of illusion. The ceilings of the tower are made of durable and reliable material, which has a serious protection against a strong, almost hurricane wind. If you even stand next to the tower, it will not fall on you and do not collapse.