It is the second-tallest building in the city (after the Cathedral), the second-tallest in North Rhine-Westphalia after the Post Tower in Bonn (Cologne Cathedral is considered to be a building in Cologne but is outside of North-Rhine-Westphalia due to the canon law of the Catholic Church),[6] and the 22nd-tallest in Germany.

Because of the tower's location near Cologne's MediaPark, it is home to several media sector companies.

Designed around a load-bearing central core, the reinforced concrete tower with an 18-metre (59 ft) mast to its upper end was built in cooperation between the architectural firm Kohl & Kohl and Parisian architect Jean Nouvel.

Despite the low power levels, the height of the antenna allows all frequencies to transmit to the northern suburbs.

In 2002, the Cologne Tower replaced the former FM transmitter site on the nearby Hansahochaus on Hansaring.