Reflection of Berlin TV Tower in glass facade
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Questions about the subject, usage, technology & more
Why does the Berlin TV Tower have a cross-shaped reflection on its sphere?
When sunlight hits the steel sphere of the Berlin TV Tower at certain angles, the curved surface reflects light in a cross pattern visible across the city. East German authorities never managed to prevent this effect, and Berliners humorously dubbed it the 'Pope's Revenge' or 'St. Walter's Cross', a nod to the atheist state that built the tower in 1969.
How can this photo be used?
This stock photo suits projects that call for architectural contrast or urban abstraction. Example uses include Berlin tourism magazines, urban development campaigns, or architecture editorials. The commercial license on Kataloop also covers use in advertisements, websites, or print media, with the image delivering a high resolution of 3,359 x 5,010 pixels.
What mood does this photo convey?
The gridded glass facade breaks the TV Tower into individual fragments, creating a sober, almost graphic visual effect. The muted blues and grays reinforce a cool, detached character. Rather than nostalgia, the image conveys a sense of urban order that is subtly questioned by the distortion running through its center.
What equipment was used to capture this photo?
This reflection shot was taken with a Minolta X-700, a mechanically robust analog SLR from the early 1980s, known for its precise exposure automation. The Makinon Auto 135mm f/2.8 compresses the facade structure and effectively emphasizes the distorted TV Tower reflection. The analog film grain gives the image a distinctive texture that digital cameras rarely replicate.
What visual style or trend does this photo represent?
The image captures two current visual trends simultaneously: the revival of analog film photography with its authentic grain, and the growing demand for architectural abstraction in stock imagery. It also reflects broader conversations about identity and urban transformation, themes especially resonant in Berlin and increasingly addressed through visual language in architecture and city communications.
Visible from virtually every corner of Berlin, the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz rises 368 meters into the sky. As this photo illustrates, it reflects into the glass facades of surrounding buildings in striking ways. Built between 1965 and 1969, it is not only Germany's tallest structure but also a central symbol of the city's divided history and its present-day identity.
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Wedged between the Brandenburg Gate and the East Side Gallery, between Prenzlauer Berg and Kreuzberg, Berlin thrives on contradictions. The city blends industrial grit with world-class museums, street art with opera houses, and postwar concrete with sleek glass towers. That tension is what makes Berlin one of Europe's most photographed cities and a constant source of compelling architectural imagery.

