Visit the new World Trade Center and Ground Zero
The World Trade Center was a complex of buildings, a symbol of the financial world of the United States, where the Twin Towers were located before they were destroyed in the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Since then, the place occupied by this complex was called Ground Zero and is currently being rebuilt. The new World Trade Center will consist of 5 buildings and one of them, already inaugurated, is the tallest in New York, the One World Trade Center.
We recommend that you buy your One World Observatory ticket in advance to avoid the queues.
What to see in the new World Trade Center
Ground Zero is currently being rebuilt with a new complex that will take the same original name.
Among all the buildings, the One World Trade Center stands out, which is 417 meters high (541 meters with the antenna).
These figures are not chosen at random: 417 meters was the height of the largest of the Twin Towers and 541 meters equals 1776 feet. 1776 was the year of the independence of the United States.
In addition, the complex will consist of other skyscrapers and the 9/11 Memorial Plaza, 2 ponds that will occupy the exact space where the Twin Towers were to remember the deceased, as well as a museum, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, which already can be visited.
The WTC Central Station, designed by Calatrava, is also under construction.
Ground Zero to remember 9/11
Ground Zero is currently under construction, but you should still get close if only to see the FDNY Memorial Wall, which bears their names, to the firefighters who died on 9/11.
It is common to see flowers next to the monument and it is impossible that your heart does not shrink when you see it.
There is also the 9/11 Memorial, in the same place where the Twin Towers used to be. In addition, there is a museum about them and about the attack that we recommend visiting.
Nearby is also St. Paul’s Chapel, a church that survived the attacks and served as a refuge for firefighters and volunteers who worked for months to clear debris and rescue those who died under the irons.
Currently there is a small exhibition-tribute to those who lost their lives that tragic day.
The World Trade Center before 9/11
The construction of the World Trade Center began in 1966 designed by the architect Minoru Yamasaki.
The complex was inaugurated in 1973 and was made up of several buildings, among which the Twin Towers stood out, with 110 floors and 415 meters high in the south tower and 417 meters (526 with the antenna) in the north tower.
On the 106th and 107th floors of the south tower there was a restaurant and on the roof of the north tower there was an observatory.
From there one had the best views of New York and the Statue of Liberty.
In addition to the Twin Towers, the complex had 5 more buildings of different heights and uses, from a hotel to offices and government headquarters.
It was located around the World Trade Center Plaza, where The Sphere was located, a sculpture that was practically undamaged in the attacks and can now be seen in Battery Park.
On September 11, 2001, in an attack that killed 2,600 people, two planes crashed into the Twin Towers causing their destruction, returning the Empire State Building to the title of tallest building in the city and changing New York and the world for forever.
You can find more information on the One World Trade Center official website.
