Pyramidenkogel
Highest wooden observation tower in the world
Photo: Johann Jaritz / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The Pyramidenkogel above the Wörthersee carries the highest wooden observation tower in the world. From the platform at around 70 m the view reaches over the Wörthersee, the Klagenfurt basin and as far as the Karawanks. A covered slide leads as a fast descent back down from the tower.
Highlights
- Highest wooden observation tower in the world
- Panorama over the Wörthersee and the Karawanks
- Covered slide as a descent
- Evening opening with an illuminated tower
Good to know
| Structure | highest wooden observation tower in the world |
| Platform | around 70 m high |
| View | Wörthersee, Karawanken |
| Extra | covered slide |
Practical info
Getting there: By car to Keutschach; seasonal bus from Klagenfurt/Wörthersee.
Best time: Open year-round; clear days for the long views.
Cost: Admission and slide payable (please verify).
Safety: The viewing platform is secured; closure possible in thunderstorms.
Tips:
- Combine with a day at the Wörthersee
- In the evening the illuminated tower is a special experience
Background & History
The Pyramidenkogel rises above the southern shore of Lake Wörth in Carinthia and is known above all for its extraordinary landmark: an observation tower around a hundred metres high, regarded as the tallest wooden observation tower in the world. Its sweeping form, opening upward and made of interlaced wooden arches, looks like a twisted crown above the hilly landscape and, at its opening in 2013, replaced an older concrete tower that had stood on the same spot since the 1950s. From the topmost gallery the view reaches far over the turquoise-shimmering Lake Wörth as far as the Karawanken and the Julian Alps.
Lake Wörth itself is one of the warmest bathing lakes in the Alps and experienced its first heyday in the 19th century, when the construction of the Southern Railway brought the summer holidaymakers of the Danube Monarchy to its shores. From that time date the magnificent villas in the so-called Wörthersee style, which shape the lakeshore to this day. The Pyramidenkogel carries this tradition of looking and enjoying into the present, for the fast slide inside the tower and the panoramic view make it one of the most popular excursion destinations in Carinthia.
To make your trip run smoothly , our guides and gear tips for this destination:
