Nasinneula is an observation tower in Tampere, Finland , over Lake Näsijärvi . It was built in 1970-1971 and designed by Pekka Ilveskoski. It is the tallest free-standing structure in Finland and currently the tallest observation tower in the Nordic countries at 168 meters (551 feet). The tower was opened in 1971 and is located in Syarkäniemi amusement park. The tower is 124 metres (407 ft) above ground and has a rotating restaurant; one turn takes 45 minutes. The design of Näsinneula was inspired by Space Needle in Seattle; the idea for the revolving restaurant was taken from Puijo Tower in Kuopio.
The base of the tower is about 15 meters (49 feet) high from Lake Nesijärvi. There are two elevators made by Valmet Schlieren. The lifts rise to a height of 120 meters (390 feet) in the cafe Pilvilinna ("Cloud Castle"). The restaurant (called Näsinneula) is one story higher.
The elevator takes 27 seconds to reach the top at a maximum speed of 6 m/s (20 ft/s), while the elevators carry a maximum of 16 people. The elevators are still the fastest public elevators in Finland. In the event of a power failure, the tower's own diesel emergency generator will start up. In case of an emergency, people can be evacuated by stairs with 700 steps.
