Pyramidenkogel
Encyclopedia
Pyramidenkogel is an 851 metres (2,792 ft) high mountain
in Carinthia
, Austria
. It is located to the south of the Wörthersee
and near the town of Maria Wörth
, in an area that is a boundary between speakers of German
and Slovenian
. In nearby Slovenia
the mountain is known as Jedvovca. The mountain has been a tourist attraction since at least the late 19th century. The view from its top is mentioned in Karl Baedeker
's 1879 The Eastern Alps.
and World War II
and "victims of the mountains." The cross was consecrated on 20 August 1950. An annual "Trausteinmesse," a special Mass
, is celebrated at the end of summer.
of steel and concrete
, the Pyramidenkogel Tower, was built between 1966 and 1968 and is a well-known "futuristic" tourist attraction, according to the Rough Guide
to Austria; Lonely Planet calls it "avant-garde." In 2008, the last summer season before rebuilding, the tower welcomed the five-millionth visitor.
of Klaura & Kaden won the competition. Construction was to have begun by late 2008, and the old tower imploded
in October 2008, but financial and political difficulties prevented this.
The new tower is to be built of wood, and at 100 metres would become the tallest wooden observation tower in the world. Architects Markus Klaura and Dietmar Kaden of Klagenfurt
and structural engineer
Markus Lackner of Villach
have designed a structure which will feature a visitors platform at 83 metre, a cafe at 70 metre, and a 66-metre long slide
(the longest slide in Europe). The new tower, to be finished in 2010, was described by Dietmar Kaden as a "Himmelsleiter aus gestapelten Ellipsen," a ladder into heaven made of stacked ellipse
s, and is to function as a "Leuchtturm der Holzbranche," a lighthouse for the timber industry
. No name has been decided on; Markus Klaura has proposed "Isis Noreia," for the goddesses Isis
and Noreia (the latter a Germanic deity, the Roman equivalent of Isis).
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
in Carinthia
Carinthia (state)
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. It is located to the south of the Wörthersee
Wörthersee
The Wörthersee is an alpine lake in the southern Austrian state of Carinthia.-General facts:The lake is elongated, about 20 km long and 1–2 km wide. It stretches from the Carinthian capital Klagenfurt in the east to Velden in the west...
and near the town of Maria Wörth
Maria Wörth
Maria Wörth is a municipality in the district of Klagenfurt-Land in the Austrian state of Carinthia. The centre of the resort town is situated on a peninsula at the southern shore of the Wörthersee. In the east the municipal area borders the Carinthian capital Klagenfurt. The municipality consists...
, in an area that is a boundary between speakers of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and Slovenian
Slovenian language
Slovene or Slovenian is a South Slavic language spoken by approximately 2.5 million speakers worldwide, the majority of whom live in Slovenia. It is the first language of about 1.85 million people and is one of the 23 official and working languages of the European Union...
. In nearby Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
the mountain is known as Jedvovca. The mountain has been a tourist attraction since at least the late 19th century. The view from its top is mentioned in Karl Baedeker
Karl Baedeker
Karl Baedeker was a German publisher whose company Baedeker set the standard for authoritative guidebooks for tourists.- Biography :...
's 1879 The Eastern Alps.
Structures on the mountain
First tower and cross
A wooden observation platform had been built in 1950, as was a cross to remember the dead of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and "victims of the mountains." The cross was consecrated on 20 August 1950. An annual "Trausteinmesse," a special Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
, is celebrated at the end of summer.
Pyramidekogel tower
The current 54-metre tall observation and broadcasting towerTower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
of steel and concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
, the Pyramidenkogel Tower, was built between 1966 and 1968 and is a well-known "futuristic" tourist attraction, according to the Rough Guide
Rough Guides
Rough Guides Ltd is a travel guidebook and reference publisher, owned by Pearson PLC. Their travel titles cover more than 200 destinations, and are distributed worldwide through the Penguin Group...
to Austria; Lonely Planet calls it "avant-garde." In 2008, the last summer season before rebuilding, the tower welcomed the five-millionth visitor.
New tower design
In July 2006, plans were hatched to tear down the structure and replace it with a new building, a multi-purpose activity centre, which was approved in 2007 and for which the Carinthian government set aside €10 million in 2008. A competition for the new design was started in 2007; the architectural firmArchitectural firm
An architectural firm is a company which employs one or more licensed architects and practices the profession of architecture.- History :Architects have existed since early in recorded history. The earliest recorded architects include Imhotep and Senemut . No writings exist to describe how these...
of Klaura & Kaden won the competition. Construction was to have begun by late 2008, and the old tower imploded
Building implosion
In the controlled demolition industry, building implosion is the strategic placing of explosive material and timing of its detonation so that a structure collapses on itself in a matter of seconds, minimizing the physical damage to its immediate surroundings...
in October 2008, but financial and political difficulties prevented this.
The new tower is to be built of wood, and at 100 metres would become the tallest wooden observation tower in the world. Architects Markus Klaura and Dietmar Kaden of Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt
-Name:Carinthia's eminent linguists Primus Lessiak and Eberhard Kranzmayer assumed that the city's name, which literally translates as "ford of lament" or "ford of complaints", had something to do with the superstitious thought that fateful fairies or demons tend to live around treacherous waters...
and structural engineer
Structural engineer
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants...
Markus Lackner of Villach
Villach
Villach is the second largest city in the Carinthia state in the southern Austria, at the Drava River and represents an important traffic junction for Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 58,480.-History:...
have designed a structure which will feature a visitors platform at 83 metre, a cafe at 70 metre, and a 66-metre long slide
Playground slide
Playground slides are found in parks, schools, playgrounds and backyards. The slide may be flat, or half cylindrical or tubular to prevent falls. Slides are usually constructed of plastic or metal and they have a smooth surface that is either straight or wavy...
(the longest slide in Europe). The new tower, to be finished in 2010, was described by Dietmar Kaden as a "Himmelsleiter aus gestapelten Ellipsen," a ladder into heaven made of stacked ellipse
Ellipse
In geometry, an ellipse is a plane curve that results from the intersection of a cone by a plane in a way that produces a closed curve. Circles are special cases of ellipses, obtained when the cutting plane is orthogonal to the cone's axis...
s, and is to function as a "Leuchtturm der Holzbranche," a lighthouse for the timber industry
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
. No name has been decided on; Markus Klaura has proposed "Isis Noreia," for the goddesses Isis
Isis
Isis or in original more likely Aset is a goddess in Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs, whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. She was worshipped as the ideal mother and wife as well as the matron of nature and magic...
and Noreia (the latter a Germanic deity, the Roman equivalent of Isis).
External links
- Pyramidenkogel Panoramic Tower on SkyscraperPage.com
- Video animation of the new wooden tower