On the morning of September 11, 2001, two planes flying to Los Angeles were hijacked by terrorists and then flown directly into the twin towers of the World Trade Center (WTC). Within two hours, both skyscrapers collapsed. Total number the victims of the terrorist attack approached 3,000. The site where the WTC stood became known as Ground Zero.

Not everyone knows, but in addition to the northern (1 WTC) and southern (2 WTC) twin towers, the 7 WTC skyscraper, which was also part of the World Trade Center complex, was completely destroyed. Buildings 4 WTC, 5 WTC and 6 WTC, as well as the Marriott Hotel, partially collapsed. Thus, the entire complex was a terrible sight. It is not for nothing that this place began to be called Ground Zero - a place on the surface of the earth - the epicenter of a nuclear explosion.

Twin Towers now

Since 2001 year goes by long process creating a new complex consisting of skyscrapers, a memorial, a museum, and a transport hub. As of 2017, skyscrapers 7 WTC, 1 WTC and 4 WTC have been completely built. The remaining skyscrapers are under construction.

Initial stage construction of tower 7 WTC

The 9/11 Memorial was dedicated on the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the site of the World Trade Center's twin towers.

The memorial covers an area of ​​2.5 hectares. On its territory, two large mirror pools were built, with water flowing down the inner walls. Both pools are located exactly on the spot where the destroyed skyscrapers stood and follow their contours. Water, falling like a waterfall from the walls, goes into large holes located in the center and symbolizing the abyss. All this produces strong impression. The names of the 2,977 people who died here during the terrorist attacks of 1993 and 2001 are written on the outer walls of the pools.

More than 100 white oak trees are planted nearby. There should be even more of them in the future. One of the trees is known as the Survival Tree. Planted back in the 70s of the 20th century, this pear tree was found under the ruins in a badly damaged condition. Part of the tree remained alive and was saved.

The memorial took a long time to create. Despite the political decision to perpetuate the tragic events, construction was delayed due to the long bureaucratic approval procedure. The concept of the memorial itself was known already in 2004. Then a professional jury, having reviewed over 5,000 applications, chose the work of architects Michael Arad and Peter Walker, which was called “Reflective Absence.”

You can enter the memorial territory for free by receiving a pass at the entrance. To enter the museum you must purchase tickets in advance www.911memorial.org

What is on the site of the Twin Towers

Now, on the site of the destroyed Twin Towers, a complex of seven new skyscrapers is being built. Towers 1, 4 and 7 are completely ready. The rest are in varying degrees of completion, for example, Tower 3 of the World Trade Center is almost ready.

The 9/11 Museum is located on the same site and is surrounded by the remains of the original World Trade Center. The largest hall of the museum is Foundation Hall. There you can find a wall built to hold back the Hudson River and the remains of columns that once formed the outer structure of the Twin Towers. The museum contains artifacts, photographs, videos and other materials about the history of the WTC and the tragedy.

1946 China is expecting a new civil war. Japan still cannot recover from the terrible atomic attack. Europe is in ruins. And everything is fine: the dollar has been recognized as an international currency, the International Bank is being established, and the construction of new buildings is beginning. The United States expects that it will soon become a powerful power and “take over” the whole world.

In the same year the mighty of the world This, namely the leadership of New York, comes up with a proposal to build the World Trade Center - World 1 in Lower Manhattan. They assume that post-war countries will begin to conduct international trade. But this could have been prevented cold war: Russians with the strongest land army in the world are acquiring atomic bomb, cast icy glances at Europe and strengthen friendly relations with Asia: helping the Koreans end the war and cementing their relationship with China forever. It was then that the Americans had to postpone the construction of the World Trade Center indefinitely.

History of the Twin Towers

The chief architect of the World Trade Center seemed to have a presentiment that one day the structure he designed would play a fatal role for the United States. Minoru Yamasaki wrote that if it were possible, “I would solve the architectural problems that confront me by designing one-story houses.”

It all started on the initiative of the director of the New York Port Authority, August Tobin - it was he who, in 1946, put forward a proposal to build a World shopping mall 1. Roughly speaking, he wanted to create something that would generate a lot of income.

The Legislature authorizes the construction of 21 buildings on the banks of the East River - land that belongs to the Authority. The project was being developed, and when it was already ready (in 1949), the approval document was withdrawn.

In the mid-1950s, David Rockefeller saw the developed project. Only his goal is different - to restore the attractiveness of the lower part of New York City (Manhattan). In 1958 they began to develop a plan to increase business activity, and in 1960 they began to evaluate the World Trade Center project. According to it, the complex was to be located on 53 hectares of land owned by the Port Authority, and there would also be a 300-meter exhibition hall surrounded by 50- and 70-story hotels and offices. Entertainment was provided such as theatres, restaurants and shops. But it was not until September 1962 that the chief architect (Minoru Yamasaki) was appointed to work on the final design, and construction began in 1965.

Yamasaki made his own adjustments: he unconditionally rejected the possibility of erecting a group of buildings and proposed opting for two twin towers 80 floors high. It followed from this that the project needed to be completely changed. However, everything happened very quickly: at the end of 1970, the topmost element of the supporting structure was installed in a ceremonial ceremony, and in 1973 the buildings were put into operation.

Events of September 11, 2001

For almost 30 years, the twin World Trade Centers have been the world's tallest buildings. The first tragedy occurred on February 26, 1993. On this day, a truck containing a bomb exploded on the second floor of the North Tower, where the underground parking was located. Omar Abdel-Rahman (Islamist leader and organizer of the terrorist attack) hoped that the tower would begin to collapse and hit the second one, that is, the complete destruction of skyscrapers would occur. But he miscalculated - the creations of the talented architect survived. The collapse killed 6 people, injured approximately 1,000, and the building completely ceased to function.

102 minutes - the most terrible in 2001. Just an hour and a half later, 1 World Trade Center ceased to exist. At 8:46 a.m., a plane with terrorists on board rammed the first tower, and at 10:28 a.m., another Boeing rammed the second, and these terrible seconds were captured on video. This terrorist attack is the largest in the history of mankind. Almost 3,000 people became victims, and another 24 were missing.

Revitalization of the building

November 21, 2006 was the day when the first phase of construction of the modern World Trade Center 1 began. This project took a lot of time and money - almost 4 billion dollars and 7 years (like its predecessor, destroyed on September 11, 2001). The height of the tower is 541 m (including the spire, which weighs more than 700 tons). Today this architectural creation is the tallest in New York, the USA and the entire Western Hemisphere.

In those places where the twin towers previously stood, 2 memorials were installed in the form of pools made of granite, and lined with bronze slabs engraved with the names of the victims along the perimeter. They are located exactly where the foundations of the buildings were laid. And WTC 1 itself is located in the western corner of the site. It turns out that the new buildings seem to surround Ground Zero (memorial).

Characteristics of a modern building

1 World Trade Center, or Freedom Tower, is a commercial and office building. The structure strongly resembles its predecessors. This is a light spiral-shaped building with a huge spire at the top. It is glazed on the outside, and inside the central part there is a large hall. The height of the room is 24 m, and from here there is access to offices, restaurants, information centers and exhibition halls.

The underground part is equipped with lobbies connected to railway lines and the city metro. At the very top, of course, are the restaurants, which offer a stunning view. There are also observation decks on the upper levels. Bottom part Freedom Tower is clad in prismatic glass and the top is blue.

• Most budget funds was intended to provide security in the event of a terrorist attack.
• In 1776 it was adopted by the United States. The building is 1,776 feet tall, and for good reason.
• Glass panels that were chosen as facing material, are reduced by 20%, because thanks to them interior spaces filled with daylight.
• The memorial to the people who died and went missing when previous Manhattan skyscrapers collapsed is by various estimates the most visited, but the project has been criticized for its enormous cost and lack of aesthetics.

What do tourists need to know?

Any tour of New York includes a visit to 1 World Trade Center. You can also get there on your own. The entrance ticket to the observation deck is about $30. As in many other countries and cities, here you can purchase a New York Pass and visit all the desired places (including World Trade Center 1) for free.

Observation decks in the Freedom Tower (New York, Manhattan) are located on levels 100, 101 and 102. High-speed elevators take you up, with displays built into the walls showing the stages of the city’s development as it “grows up.”

Considering the terrible tragedy that occurred at this site 15 years ago, many people are afraid to visit World Trade Center 1. When the building was put into operation, the owners waited a long time for tenants of the premises - few wanted to take such a risk. But, as we know, a shell does not hit the same crater twice, and one would like to hope that this will actually be the case.

1 World Trade Center - a response to terrorism

WTC 1 is not just a beautiful architectural object with a panoramic observation deck. This is a worthy response to global terrorism, as well as a place where one can honor the memory of dead people. The modern New York building is one of the main attractions that is most frequently visited local residents and tourists.

Ten years ago, 19 men trained by Al Qaeda carried out a coordinated terrorist attack on the United States. It took several years to develop the plan for the terrorist attack. Terrorists simultaneously captured 4 large passenger aircraft with the intention of using them to destroy the most famous landmarks of the United States, taking as many lives as possible. Three planes reached their targets, the fourth crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. In one day these acts massacre killed about 3,000 people from 57 countries. Of these, more than 400 died - firefighters, police and ambulance crews. This event received the maximum coverage in the entire history of the media, and even ten years later it is difficult to look at these photographs. The attacks and the response to them have greatly shaped the world we live in today, which is why it is important to look at these photographs and remember what happened that day. This post is the second of three on the September 11 terrorist attacks.

1. View of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan covered in clouds of smoke and dust from Jersey City, New Jersey, September 15, 2001. (AP Photo/Dan Loh)

2. Smoke pours from a hole in the wall and from the upper floors of the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York after the collision of American Airlines Flight 11. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

3. United Airlines Flight 175 moments before impact with the South Tower of the World Trade Center. The north tower is already on fire. (Reuters/Sean Adair)

4. Explosion in the south tower during the collision of United Airlines Flight 175 in New York, September 11, 2001. The plane crashed into the building at a speed of 945 km/h. (Reuters/Sean Adair)

5. Airplane collision with the south tower of the World Trade Center. There were 56 passengers on board (including 5 hijackers). (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

6. The explosion of 3800 liters of fuel remaining on board the plane during a collision with the south tower of the World Trade Center in New York. (AP Photo/Ernesto Mora)

7. Two women, holding each other, look at the World Trade Center buildings burning after a terrorist attack. (AP Photo/Ernesto Mora)

8. The burning twin towers are visible behind the Empire State Building. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler)

9. A cloud of smoke from the World Trade Center buildings in lower Manhattan. Photo from a USGS satellite flying over the area around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. (AP Photo/USGS)

10. People hanging from the windows of the North Tower of the World Trade Center after the attack. (Jose Jimenez/Primera Hora/Getty Images)

11. A man jumps to his death from the north tower of the World Trade Center filled with smoke and flames. (Jose Jimenez/Primera Hora/Getty Images)

12. A man jumps from the upper floors of the burning north tower of the World Trade Center. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

13. A man jumps from the north tower of the World Trade Center. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

14. A Pentagon surveillance camera captured the explosion that resulted from the collision with a hijacked American Airlines plane with 58 passengers and six crew on board on September 11, 2001. (AP Photo)

15. Flames and smoke erupt from the Pentagon building after the explosion. (AP Photo/Will Morris)

17. Medics treat victims near the Pentagon after a hijacked airliner crashed into the southwest corner of the building. (Reuters/U.S. Navy Photo/Journalist 1st Class Mark D. Faram)

19. Smoke billows from the World Trade Center towers after two hijacked planes crashed into them during the terrorist attack on New York. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

20. At 9:59 a.m. on September 11, 2001, 56 minutes after the impact, the south tower of the World Trade Center begins to collapse. (AP Photo/Gulnara Samoilova)

21. The South Tower of the World Trade Center collapses, burying nearby streets in rubble. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

22. Police officers and pedestrians run for cover during a terrorist attack in New York. (Doug Kanter/AFP/Getty Images)

23. People covered in dust walk through the rubble near the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001. (AP Photo/Gulnara Samoilova)

24. Maru Stahl of Somerset, Pennsylvania, shows a photo he took of the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93. The plane crashed near Shanksville, and Stahl, hearing the explosion, headed to the crash site and took a photo before rescuers cordoned off the area. The plane crashed in Pennsylvania shortly after the attacks on New York. (Reuters/Jason Cohn)

25. Aerial photograph of the crash site of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, taken by the FBI on September 12, 2001. The Boeing 757 was flying from Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco when it made a sharp turn near Cleveland and crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. 44 people died. The plane was one of four that were part of the 9/11 attack plan and the only one that failed to reach its target. (AP Photo/FBI)

26. Firefighters and rescue workers investigate the crash site of Flight 93 near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Tribune-Democrat/David Lloyd)

27. At 10:28 a.m. on September 11, 2001, 102 minutes after the plane struck, the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York collapses. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)

28. Collapse of the World Trade Center tower on September 11, 2001 in New York. (Jose Jimenez/Primera Hora/Getty Images)

29. A New York Police Department photo shows ash and smoke billowing across Manhattan as the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapses. (AP Photo/NYPD, Det. Greg Semendinger)

30. Dust, smoke and debris fill the air as the World Trade Center tower falls on September 11, 2001 in New York. (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)

31. Dust, smoke and ash envelop neighboring buildings after the fall of both World Trade Center towers on September 11, 2001 in New York. (AP Photo/NYPD, Det. Greg Semendinger)

32. People are leaving the collapsed towers to escape the smoke and dust. As a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in New York, both 110-story towers of the World Trade Center collapsed. (AP Photo/Suzanne Plunkett)

33. The North Tower of the World Trade Center turns into a cloud of dust and debris half an hour after the fall of the South Tower on September 11, 2001. The photo was taken from Jersey City, New Jersey, across the Hudson River. (Reuters/Ray Stubblebine)

34. People make their way through the rubble near the ruins of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 in New York. (AP Photo/Gulnara Samoilova)

35. A priest helps people after the fall of the World Trade Center towers in New York on September 11, 2001. (AP Photo/Gulnara Samoilova)

36. People cover their faces from the dust as they cross the Brooklyn Bridge to get away from the cloud of dust and smoke that covered Manhattan after the terrorist attacks. (AP Photo/Daniel Shanken)

37. People on the street near the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

38. A sheriff's deputy treats a woman injured during the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York. (AP Photo/Gulnara Samiolava)

39. A man sobs as he watches the World Trade Center tower fall in New York on September 11, 2001. (AP Photo/Shawn Baldwin)

40. A firefighter rests on a bench in lower Manhattan while working at the site of the fall of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. (AP Photo/Matt Moyer)

41. Construction waste and the ashes from the fall of the World Trade Center towers as a result of a terrorist attack fill the streets of Manhattan, turning the city into a picture of the Apocalypse. Buildings collapsed, burying thousands of people in the rubble. (AP Photo/Boudicon One)

42. A fireman calls rescuers to help clear the wreckage of the World Trade Center. The photo was taken on September 15, 2001. (Reuters/U.S. Navy/Journalist 1st Class Preston Keres)

43. The chassis of one of the hijacked planes lies on the street next to the destroyed buildings of the World Trade Center in New York, September 11, 2001. (Reuters/Shannon Stapleton)

44. Firefighters search for survivors under the rubble of the Twin Towers after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack. (AP Photo/Matt Moyer)

45. Light barely breaks through the clouds of smoke and ash at the site of the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. (AP Photo/Baldwin)

46. ​​New York firefighters extinguish building 7 of the World Trade Center, destroyed along with the Twin Towers during the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. (Reuters/Mike Segar)

47. A group of firefighters near the ruins of the south tower of the World Trade Center in New York, September 11, 2001. (Reuters/Peter Morgan)

48. Debris covers the tracks in the New York City Subway tunnel on lines 1 and 9 at the Cortlandt Street Station under the World Trade Center. New York City Transportation officials said the damage was so severe that more than one mile of tunnel had to be rebuilt. (AP Photo/New York City Transit)

49. Rescuers carry out a search and rescue operation for victims as they descend into the rubble of the World Trade Center on Friday, September 14, 2001. (Reuters/U.S. Navy/Photographer's Mate 2nd Class Jim Watson)

50. A man stands in the ruins of the World Trade Center towers and tries to call survivors, asking if anyone needs help. (Doug Kanter/AFP/Getty Images)

The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center have been a symbol of the financial power of the United States and New York for almost three decades, and as a result, today they are associated with one of the most tragic events in history. modern history- the September 11 terrorist attacks. However, it would not hurt to look at the undoubtedly unique history that the twin towers had.

The decision that an ultra-modern office complex would be built in an inconspicuous part of Lower Manhattan was made back in the early 60s of the last century. New York was undergoing significant renovation in those years, so it was quite logical that the developer and chairman of the Chase Manhattan bank, David Rockefeller, and his brother, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, came to the conclusion that such a large-scale project was necessary in a rather poor part of the city at that time . In 1962, under the leadership of the Port Authority, planning began for the complex, the author of the project was the famous American architect of Japanese origin, Minoru Yamasaki. His idea to build two huge towers, the likes of which no city in the world knew at that time, caused a lot of controversy. In particular, many noted that they simply disfigured the appearance of the city.

However, construction began in 1966, lasting 7 years and encountering many difficulties. To begin with, 164 buildings had to be demolished, five streets had to be closed, and 1.2 million cubic yards of dirt had to be removed from what would become Battery Park City. At one point, up to 3,500 workers could be working on the construction site. In total, approximately 10,000 people were involved in the construction of the towers, 60 of whom, alas, did not live to see the completion of construction.

The structure of the towers was very atypical for its time - avoiding masonry, the engineers used special steel beams running the entire height of the building. There were 61 such beams on each side. The columns of the towers were clad in aluminum and located only half a meter apart from each other, so that from a distance the twin towers could appear as buildings without any windows. The floors between the floors consisted of concrete slabs and corrugated steel and attached to external load-bearing walls.

Particular attention was paid to the elevators, which were designed specifically for the towers by Otis. A total of 239 elevators with a lifting capacity of over 4.5 tons were installed. Opened on April 4, 1973, the North and South towers were 417 and 415 meters in height, respectively, and the northern one was also crowned with a huge antenna. In total, the towers had 110 floors, and at the time of construction they were the tallest skyscrapers on the planet.

Terrorist acts

The Twin Towers have had their fair share of challenges. The first truly serious disaster was a fire in 1975, which broke out on the 11th floor and then spread between the 9th and 14th floors.

However, these were still flowers compared to the terrorist attack of 1993, when on February 26 a truck with 680 kilograms of explosives was blown up in the underground parking lot of the North Tower. The result was a 30-meter hole, which “decorated” 5 underground floors at once, and serious smoke in the building, which was felt even on the upper floors. 5 people died, and the perpetrator of the terrorist attack, Ramzi Yusef, managed to escape to Pakistan. However, he was soon caught and extradited to the States, where he faced a life prison sentence.

Alas, after the first terrorist attack, the WTC buildings remained standing for only eight and a half years. It all ended on September 11, 2001, when two terrorist attacks led to the destruction of both towers.

First, at 8:46 a.m., an American Airlines plane hijacked by terrorists, operating flight number 11, collided with the North Tower. Its impact hit the northern façade of the building between the 93rd and 99th floors. At the same time, as a result of this blow, a severe fire broke out, and all possible exits for those who were on the upper floors were blocked, thus over a thousand people were trapped.

Seventeen minutes after the first attack, another United Airlines plane hijacked by terrorists, operating flight number 175, crashed into the South Tower. Moreover, this airliner hit the space between the 77th and 85th floors, that is, noticeably lower than the first, however, due to the fact that The space closer to the corner of the tower was damaged, but one flight of stairs remained intact, which saved many lives.

The South Tower was the first to collapse, at 9:59 a.m., as its load-bearing structures were severely damaged by the plane's impact and the fire that broke out afterwards. In the North Tower, the fire lasted 102 minutes, so it collapsed a little later - at 10:28.

Also on September 11, but in the evening, the seventh building of the World Trade Center complex collapsed. As a result, it was necessary to get rid of all the buildings of the World Trade Center as not subject to restoration and further use. The same fate befell the neighboring Marriott Hotel, damaged by the towers' debris, and the Deutsche Bank building, which was subsequently dismantled.

The total number of victims of these terrible terrorist attacks in New York is estimated at 2,752 people - that is how many death certificates were issued by the authorities. However, it is often emphasized that if the attacks had occurred not in the morning, but at the height of the working day, there could have been many times more casualties, since there were usually about 50 thousand people in the towers at the same time during these hours.

After the terrorist attacks, a huge number of stories appeared about how many people, due to various domestic or transport problems, did not have time to work, which ultimately saved their lives. Among all companies greatest number victims - 658 - occurred at the Cantor Fitzgerald L.P. bank, located on the 101-105 floors of the North Tower. Also, 343 New York firefighters, 84 Port Authority employees and approximately 60 police officers were killed in the terrorist attacks.

In the recent history of both the United States and the whole world, such victims as a result of terrorist attacks are something completely unprecedented and truly terrifying. It is safe to say that September 11 was the first such event in the history of the new millennium, after which we can say that the world has truly changed.

In the United States, suicide bombers from the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger planes, sending two of them to the symbol of business New York - the World Trade Center towers, and the other two - to the Pentagon and, presumably, to White House or the Capitol. All aircraft except the last one reached their targets. The fourth hijacked plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

New York District Judge George Daniels issued a default judgment ordering Iran to pay $7.5 billion to relatives and other representatives of those killed at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A judge has determined that Iranian authorities must pay another three billion to insurers who covered property damage and other material losses. Earlier, Judge Daniels ruled that Tehran could not prove its non-involvement in providing assistance to the organizers of the terrorist attack, and therefore the Iranian authorities bear a share of responsibility for the damage caused during it.

On the site of the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2011, there was the World Trade Center Memorial. It consists of two square fountain pools located right at the bases of the former twin towers, along internal walls which cascade streams of water flowing into square holes located at the bottom of each of the pools.

The names of 2,983 terrorist victims (including six who died in the 1993 World Trade Center attack) are carved into bronze slabs that line the parapets of both fountains.

The new World Trade Center complex was opened. It is the fourth tallest skyscraper in the world - its height is 541 meters. Construction began in April 2006 on the corner of a plot of 65 thousand square meters, where the twin towers of the destroyed shopping center previously stood.

Celebrated in the United States as Patriot Day since 2009, after the approval of Act 111-13 of the US General Law, this date is also referred to as the national Day of Service and Remembrance.

The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources