One of the most outstanding tourist attractions of Chicago, the third largest city in the United States, are its skyscrapers. The Home Insurance Building, the world's first skyscraper, was completed there in 1885. The second most visited city in the United States is home to iconic structures such as Trump Tower, the Federal Reserve Bank's headquarters, the Chicago Stock Exchange, and the Chicago Tribune," one of America's largest daily newspapers.
The Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower, is arguably one of the city's most spectacular and significant structures. The Willis Tower was the highest structure in the United States until 2012, when it was surpassed by the One World Trade Centre, which was built on the site of New York's twin towers.
But the "Willis Tower" is also well-known for another, endlessly fascinating reason. This is the skyscraper, popularly known as the "Batman Building" or "Gotham City Building," because it was the location of some of the most memorable moments in multiple Batman films.
The "Batman Building" astounded the BGNES Agency crew as well, with its astounding height of 443 metres and up to 110 stories.
A mechanical speaker blasts out interesting data about the Willis Tower's history and operation as you ascend the lift to the top 110th floor.
The skyscraper's construction began in August 1970 and was finished on May 4, 1973. The building was inspired by 9 cigarettes arranged in a square and then shifted relative to each other to create the fractured architecture. The structure is made up of 9 square tube-columns that form a huge square at the base. The pipes continue up to the 66th story, five to the 90th floor, and only two to the final 20 floors. Two massive television antennas are installed on the roof.
The building has a total area of 416,000 m2, which is equivalent to 57 football fields. The building is divided into three sections by 104 high-speed lifts. 16,000 tinted glasses reveal a view that cannot be described in words. It's made of black aluminium.
As the lift fills with passengers, they travel through numerous attractions such as a stage for an artistic Chicago variety show, a holographic bird's-eye view of Chicago, a basketball hall and more, where every visitor may participate and feel like they are a part of American pop culture.
Finally, the stream of curious onlookers arrives at the coveted destination - the massive hall where Christian Bale's character from Christopher Nolan's Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises" raises a glass of champagne with his guests, enjoying the view of the gloomy Gotham City (Chicago and its skyscrapers).
Few people realise that many of the outside sequences and creepy tunnel shots of Gotham in Batman were shot in Chicago. The BGNES team was able to witness firsthand the oppressive and scary atmosphere of the so-called "catacombs of Chicago" - where you can recognise the location of more than one scene of the beloved comic book character arriving in the Batmobile and fighting the menacing Joker.
But let us return to the summit, where you feel as if you are "master of the world" among the clouds. The view from the building's all-glass top floor reveals the entire city of Chicago, its three levels and impressive subway transportation system, dozens of yachts, ships and boats moving on Lake Michigan, the avenues of Millennium Park and the commercial and public all-glass city skyscrapers rising like towers - each more impressive than the other. There are also specially created little glass niches imitating glazed balconies to provide the illusion of walking in the skies. Their floor is completely transparent, and upon entering, you are overcome with a mixture of minor anxiety and enormous elation and thrill, as if you were a bird flying over the vast metropolis.
Since this year, the renowned "Willis Tower" has been associated with an event that has boosted Bulgarian patriotism and inspired many Americans to learn more about our country. On March 3, it was illuminated with the colours of the Bulgarian tricolour in honour of the national holiday. Svetoslav Stankov, the Bulgarian Consul General in Chicago, worked tirelessly to make this happen. Together with Gary Mitchen, General Manager at Willis Tower, and Zachary Thomas, Operations Coordinator, they were able to bring this first-of-its-kind acknowledgment to the Bulgarian community - a prosperous and vital component of Chicago's socioeconomic life. /BGNES
