Zorawina transmitter / RTCN Zorawina

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The transmitter Żórawina is a facility for FM (in earlier days also for MW) -transmission at Żórawina, then Rothsorben or Rothbach, south of Wrocław (then Breslau) 17°01' E and 50°59' N. It was established in 1932 as "Reichssender Breslau" and used as an antenna tower, a 140 metre tall free-standing lattice tower built of wood, in which a wire antenna was hung up. On the top of the tower there was an octanular ring of bronze with a diameter of 10.6 metres for electrical lengthening the antenna.

In 1940 a second transmission aerial was built. It was an arrangement of 3 T-antennas mounted on three 49.9 metre tall guyed masts, which formed a triangle with equal side length. This antenna was as the wood tower in use until the shutdown of the facility on February 7, 1945.

After 1945 transmission was resumed by the Polish Broadcasting Company under use of the wood tower as antenna tower. In 1976 a 260 metre tall mast radiator was built and the frequency of the transmitter, which was changed to 1206 kHz in 1965, was increased to 200 kilowatts after its completion. The wood tower remained afterwards as backup antenna until its demolition in fall 1990. It was after the blasting of the wooden radio tower of Transmitter Ismaning on March 16th, 1983 until its demolition the tallest wooden structure on earth!
In 1997 the mediumwave transmitter was shut-down. Meanwhile the guys of the mast, which were divided by insulators were replaced by guys without insulators as it is only used for FM- and TV-transmissions.