Ostankino tower in Moscow to receive tourists again

Repairs of the famous Ostankino TV tower, the tallest building in Russia and one of the tallest constructions in the world, continue in Moscow. The tower was seriously damaged in the fire in 2000.

The tower is already functioning as a television and radio transmitter. Since autumn 2003 it will receive tourists, wishing to enjoy the view of the Russian capital from a 500-meter height. Express elevators will be installed by that time. The order for elevators is being fulfilled in Germany, Gennady Sklyar, the head of the Russian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network state company, said on Wednesday. The reconstruction of the popular restaurant, The Seventh Heaven, will start in January. We expect a significant flow of tourists to Ostankino, Sklyar said.

According to him, the Russian government is likely to sign an agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development on the allocation of a $14 million credit on the Ostankino reconstruction in 2003.