The Old Stockholm telephone tower (Swedish: Telefontornet ) was a metallic structure built to connect approximately 5,500 telephone lines in the Swedish capital of Stockholm. Constructed in 1887, the tower was used until 1913. It was damaged by a fire in 1952 and demolished the following year.
When the telephone came into existence, it was a very rare thing in towns and cities to have telephones and there were barely any telephone lines. Also, people were not aware of how to bury the telephone lines, and hence, it was all over the place as the employees had no idea how to bury the telephone lines. Due to this, there was an incredible practice that was born to conceal the wires, which was known as the Old Stockholm Telephone Tower, which was fairly popular in Stockholm, Sweden.
It was constructed back in 1887 and was spread at a length of 240 feet, and was responsible for serving as the central hub of 5,500 telephone lines that were present everywhere in Stockholm. This building was visible in the skyline of the city from any point and eventually, people started burying the telephone lines. Over a period of time, when people started burying the lines, the tower was obsolete and it was turned into an advertising billboard, before demolishing in 1958.
(Photos courtesy of Tekniska Museet)
