Most of the buildings on the square were destroyed by allied bombing during the Second World War. After the war Alexanderplatz became the de facto center of East-Berlin. The square was enlarged and used as a showcase of Socialist architecture. This resulted in some plain, 'shoebox-ugly' buildings and a huge television tower, which was the pride of the East German government. The TV tower, known as the Fernsehturm or the Tele-spargel is one of the tallest structures in Europe. The total height to the top of the spire is 365 meters or 1197 feet. It was built in 1969 by a team of architects with the help of Swedish experts. It consists of a concrete shaft, a steel-clad metal sphere and a TV antenna.