Television Station Paul Nipkow

The Paul Nipkow Fernsehsender (TV Station) was the first television station in Germany. It was named after Paul Nipkow, the inventor of the Nipkow disk and existed from 1934 until 1944. Regular broadcasts started on March 22, 1935. Its headquarters was in Berlin, Germany. It was managed by Eugen Hadamovsky, who held the title of " Reichssendeleiter" (Reich Production Director]], and who welcomed viewers by declaring that "In this hour, this broadcast will bring to fruition the largest and holiest mission: to plant in all German hearts now the picture of their great leader (Führer)".

Television was not, in fact, invented by Nipkow, although his design of the Nipkow disc was used by British inventor John Logie Baird in his early televisors. Indeed, the mechanical televsion system used in Germany was first developed via Baird Television's German affiliate, Fernseh AG. However, in the mid-1930's the German air minister Hermann Goering had taken over Fernseh, who was very much aware of its potential propaganda value; the naming of the station after Nipkow was a conscious attempt to claim Television as a German invention rather than a British one.