Description: The Schwerbelastungskörper (German: "heavy loading body") is a large cylinder made of concrete in Berlin, Germany. It was built in 1941 to study the feasibility of constructing large buildings on the sandy ground in the area, in preparation for the planned construction nearby of a massive Triumphal Arch. It is 18 m high and has a mass of 12,650 metric tons. Because of nearby apartment buildings, it was not possible to demolish it with explosives at the end of World War II, so it remained; since 1995 it has been protected as a historic monument.
The structure is located at the intersection of Dudenstraße, General-Pape-Straße, and Loewenhardtdamm in the northwestern part of the borough of Tempelhof.
If the structure were to sink less than 6 cm (2.5 inches), the soil would be deemed sound enough to build Hitler's planned structures of Welthauptstadt Germania. It sank 18 cm (7 inches) after three years, but Hitler disregarded the findings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwerbelastungsk%C3%B6rper |
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