Among the ten tallest buildings in the EU, four are from Madrid

London/Prague - The tallest building in the European Union (EU) was the Commerzbank Tower in Frankfurt am Main, standing at 259 meters for a full 15 years; now it is replaced at the top of union buildings by the London skyscraper The Shard, measuring 310 meters. However, the tallest building in the world is over half a kilometer higher - the Dubai skyscraper Burj Khalifa measures 828 meters. In contrast, the tallest building in the Czech Republic, City Tower in Prague-Pankrác, measures 109 meters, and the newly completed AZ Tower in Brno next April is expected to measure only two meters more.
    London will today ceremoniously open the tallest skyscraper in Europe. The building, nicknamed The Shard for its shape, rises to a height of 310 meters, and its construction cost 450 million pounds (14.3 billion crowns).
    The skyscraper was designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, who is also known as a co-author of the Paris Centre Pompidou. The Shard has 72 occupied floors. The first 28 floors will house offices, followed by restaurant floors, the Shangri-La hotel will be located on floors 34 to 52, the next 12 floors will have the highest apartments in Britain, and floors 68 to 72 will have observation areas that will be open to the public starting in February.
    The project was initiated by businessman Irvine Sellar, but construction was in jeopardy after the financial crisis in 2008. The Shard was saved by Qatar, which purchased a 95 percent stake and thus owns another significant building in the British metropolis after the Harrods department store.
    The inauguration will be accompanied by a spectacular show this evening, where beams of lasers from the skyscraper will direct to other London skyscrapers and landmarks, such as the famous skyscraper known as the Gherkin, the Tower Bridge, Tate Modern gallery, the giant London Eye Ferris wheel, or St. Paul's Cathedral. The London Philharmonic Orchestra will perform, and the honored guests will include Prince Andrew and the Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani.
    The London Shard also becomes the tallest building in Europe, having surpassed the previous continental leader, the Moscow skyscraper with the peculiar name City of Capitals, which stood at 302 meters since 2009. However, Russian buildings are likely to reclaim the title soon: this year or next year, the Moscow Mercury City Tower, which will reach a height of 332 meters, is expected to be completed, becoming the tallest in Europe.

Overview of the 15 tallest buildings in the European Union:

Rank	Building	Country	City	Height (m)	Completion
1.	The Shard	United Kingdom	London	310	2012
2.	Commerzbank Tower	Germany	Frankfurt am Main	259	1997
3.	Messeturm	Germany	Frankfurt am Main	257	1990
4.	Caja Madrid Tower	Spain	Madrid	250	2008
5.	Crystal Tower	Spain	Madrid	249	2008
6.	PwC Tower	Spain	Madrid	236	2008
7.	Space Tower	Spain	Madrid	236	2007
8.	One Canada Square	United Kingdom	London	235	1991
9.=	First Tower	France	Paris	231	2011
9.=	Palace of Culture	Poland	Warsaw	231	1956
9.=	Garibaldi Tower	Italy	Milano	231	2011
12.	Heron Tower	United Kingdom	London	230	2010
13.	Heavenly Tower	Poland	Wrocław	212	2012
14.	Montparnasse Tower	France	Paris	210	1972
15.	Westend Tower	Germany	Frankfurt am Main	208	1993

Overview of the tallest buildings in the EU under construction:

Name	City	Period	Height (m)
The Shard	London	from 2012	310
Commerzbank Tower	Frankfurt am Main	1997-2012	259
Messeturm	Frankfurt am Main	1990-1997	257
Montparnasse Tower	Paris	1972-1990	210
Southern Tower	Brussels	1966- The English translation is powered by AI tool. Switch to Czech to view the original text source. 0 comments add comment Related articles 0 02.07.2012 | Qatar's prime minister is buying the most expensive apartment in New York 0 05.04.2011 | On the banks of the Thames in London, the largest building in the EU is rising Partners