Pyramidenkogel

On hill above the Wörthersee, the largest one of lakes in South Carinthia in Austria is situated an amazing wooden lookout tower, which is not only beautiful, but also one of the most important first-of-its-kind wooden tower in the world. It’s not only about the view. Its skeleton is a technical and architectural gem itself.

well. meet my mom. 😀

The Pyramidenkogel is 100 meters tall, but the visitors will only get to 70 meters. From here, however, is a fair breathtaking view of the scenic lake and mountain landscape. Looking at the 17-kilometer long Wörthersee, which stretches eastwards from the modern town of Velden to the main Carinthian town of Klagenfurt, one has the insuperable feeling of being teleported to the Caribbean.

Panoramic views are of not only the lake with a typical island in the middle, or the pilgrimage town of Maria Wörth with a romantic church, but also the mountains in Austria, Slovenia and even in Italy. We’re in the area where the influences of the Alps and the Adriatic Sea, which is only less than two hours from here, combine together and you can see it not only in the local architecture, but also in attitudes and characters of people. They seem more friendly and less stiff than in other parts of the country. Is it really true or it was only me who had such feeling? Tell me in comments!

The lake shines with an incredibly turquoise color, which somewhere around the shores gains a brighter thirst, as if beneath the surface lays a white sand. It’s not surprising that water from the lake can be drunk, although it is not recommended in the bathing season.

To the top of the Pyramidenkogel you can take a modern lift or take the stairs and enjoy the views from various viewing platforms. You have exactly the exact height at which you are at each deck.

And now there is an important question….how to descend from the tower back to earth?

Well, there are four options:

• stairs
• elevator
• slide (the tallest tunnel slide in Europe!)
• zip wire (100 metres long and 70 metres high!)

I decided to use stairs to go up and slide on the way down, I was too afraid to try the zip wire what I kinda regretted afterwards. Unfortunately, it is open only from 1st of July until 31st of August, so there is no chance to try this adventurous experience in the next few months!

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The popular activity at Wörthersee has recently been a “stand-up paddling”, which means paddling on the planks. You can spot the paddlers even from some lower platforms of the lookout! That’s how many of them are there!

Or when you go about 20 kilometers west, you’ll get to the paragliding paradise. On the Gerlitzen Mountains over Villach meet paragliders from all over the world who there majestically circle the air over the azure waters of the neighboring lake. If watching them is not enough for you, you can hire an instructor and do it yourself or pay for a tandem jump.

Goldeck

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Warning: We caught really beautiful weather and the same idea as we had, lots of other people also had. So the road to the lookout tower was full of cars, and the parking lot was packed. But the regulation of tourists was amazing, the only time I had to wait in a row was when waiting for the slide. But that was only a few minutes, otherwise was the staff perfect!

well. and this is me.

Question for you: Do you like lookouts? If so, which one is your favourite?

Have a great day!