Vengeful Pope installs towering cross on broadcasting tower
Revised Article
After the smoke cleared in Rome, Pope Leo XIV ascends to the Catholic Church's top position, leaving some craving more religious intrigue. Head over to Berlin for a taste of the dramatics, mainly during sunny days. The Fernsehturm, an icon of Berlin, has stood tall since the 60s, a reminder of Eastern ambition during the Cold War era.
The Fernsehturm, towering at 368 meters, is the tallest structure in Germany, once the third-tallest building globally. Built between 1965 and 1969 to celebrate 20 years of DDR rule, it epitomized Eastern modernity and progress. But history has a unique sense of humor—a witty twist to pull off the cassock sleeve, you could say.
In the decades to come, this tower became legendary for its height, Spargel-like appearance, and consequently, its temporary nickname as Telespargel. Yet, its charm doesn't stop there; it also earned the unexpected titled "Die Rache des Papstes," or "The Pope's Revenge."
A gleaming orb, defying the capitalist West.
The tower's distinctive sphere, which caused quite the commotion, is responsible for the ironic moniker. When sunlight strikes that vertical sphere, it creates an unforgettable cross-shaped reflection, standing firm across the sky. Visible from both sides of the Wall, the phenomenon doubled as a passive-aggressive barb in a state that systematically suppressed religion under Marxist-Leninist rule.
Surprisingly, the architects inadvertently designed the cross; they neglected to consider how sunlight would behave on a stainless steel sphere. The East German leadership attempted multiple attempts to hide the cross, from chemicals and paint to shining spotlights, but it persisted like a stubborn train of thought. In response to the perplexing phenomenon, the Western press affectionately adapted the name "The Pope's Revenge."
One can only imagine Walter Ulbricht, gazing at the floating cross, muttering a disbelieving "Oh mein Gott." Berliners even coined the nickname St. Walter for the tower. and some argue that even Pope Paul VI—at the time—might've raised an eyebrow at the cosmic irony. Guess the universe had it out for the Eastern elite.
Reagan seized the opportunity to use the cross in his Cold War PR stunt, standing beside Brandenburger Tor in 1987, stating, "Even today, when the sun strikes that sphere - that sphere that towers over all Berlin - the light creates the sign of the cross." The fall of the Berlin Wall, two years later, did little to diminish the tower's enduring presence as a lasting symbol of the city. Revenge, it seems, is better served cold—in this case, as a flash of cold, metallic light.
The ironic nickname "Die Rache des Papstes," or "The Pope's Revenge," was bestowed upon the Fernsehturm due to the cross-shaped reflection created by the tower's sphere when sunlight hits it. This unexpected symbol of religious imagery, visible from both sides of the Wall, served as a passive-aggressive reminder during the Marxist-Leninist rule that suppressed religion in East Germany.
Reflecting on the history of the Fernsehturm, some find it amusing that the tower, once intended as a beacon of Eastern modernity, has become a symbol of social media fodder and pop-culture reference, proving that history often holds unexpected twists and turns that can captivate the minds of the public with entertaining tales.
