Buchkogel (Plabutsch)
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The Buchkogel, at 656 meters above sea level, is a hill in the
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n state of
Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
. It is located in the southern part of the
Grazer Bergland The Graz Highlands or Graz Mountains (german: Grazer Bergland) are a low mountain range north of the Styrian state capital of Graz in Austria. It is part of the Central Eastern Alps, Central Alps and forms the start of the Prealps East of the Mur. ...
in the west of the state capital
Graz Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...
. The mixed forests within the Plabutsch ridge serve as a popular recreation area. Parts of the
karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
ified hill were settled back in the
Chalcolithic period The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and  ''líthos'', "stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin '' aeneus'' "of copper"), is an archaeological period characterized by regular ...
and served for
limonite Limonite () is an iron ore consisting of a mixture of hydrated iron(III) oxide-hydroxides in varying composition. The generic formula is frequently written as FeO(OH)·H2O, although this is not entirely accurate as the ratio of oxide to hydroxid ...
mining during the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
and
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. On the top there is the historical Kronprinz Rufolf observation tower built in 1879. The name ''Buchkogel'' is either derived from a lost castle (German ''Burg'') or the extensive
beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...
(German ''Buche'') population.


Geography


Location

The mostly forest-covered hill is situated near the western border of the 16th city district
Straßgang Straßgang (from Slavic ''straža'' "look-out, watchtower") is the 16th city district of Graz, in the Austrian province of Styria. It is located in the south-west of Graz at the bottom of the hills Buchkogel and Florianiberg. History The l ...
. It is part of the Plabutsch ridge which borders the wide Mur valley (Grazer Feld) in the west. On an eastern spur of Buchkogel St. Martin's château and church can be found, a smaller church consecrated to John and Paul is located on the hill ridge about a mile northeast of the summit. While the whole hill is part of a landscape protection area the south-eastern slopes (Kehlberg) are partially being cultivated as
vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...
s.


Geology and geomorphology

Buchkogel, like the rest of the hill ridge, is built from mid-
Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
s and dolomite rocks which are part of the Graz
Paleozoic The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon. The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838 by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ' ...
. Underneath lie dolomite
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
s,
diabase Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-graine ...
tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock cont ...
s and fossil-rich limestones. A local specialty is the occurrence of grey and brown ''Rauchwacken'', yellow and brown, mostly
mylonitic Mylonite is a fine-grained, compact metamorphic rock produced by dynamic recrystallization of the constituent minerals resulting in a reduction of the grain size of the rock. Mylonites can have many different mineralogical compositions; it is a cl ...
limestones and brown
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
-
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
s that all together form a layer up to 100 meters thick. Anton Schäfer dubbed this lithology ''Braungesteine'' because of its characteristic brown
weathering Weathering is the deterioration of rocks, soils and minerals as well as wood and artificial materials through contact with water, atmospheric gases, and biological organisms. Weathering occurs ''in situ'' (on site, with little or no movement), ...
. The approximately north–south-
striking Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
Devonian layer package falls on average 30 degrees to the west and is determined by a fracture tectonic with the main direction east–west. The hill ridge is divided into individual blocks with different strike directions, some of which also vary within these units. The largely thick-
stratified Stratification may refer to: Mathematics * Stratification (mathematics), any consistent assignment of numbers to predicate symbols * Data stratification in statistics Earth sciences * Stable and unstable stratification * Stratification, or st ...
carbonate rocks reacted to the tectonic stress by breaking.


Karst hydrology

In the course of these processes profound joints were created that made the development of
cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...
s and
sinkhole A sinkhole is a depression or hole in the ground caused by some form of collapse of the surface layer. The term is sometimes used to refer to doline, enclosed depressions that are locally also known as ''vrtače'' and shakeholes, and to openi ...
s possible. Following the
miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
ification, the ridge was buried under loose sediments. The removal of these sediments during the Riss/Würm interglacial period happened asymmetrical because of the mighty down-cutting of the Mur river. As a result, the eastern slope of the Buchkogel shows a concave profile. On the western side a
blind valley A steephead valley, steephead or blind valley is a deep, narrow, flat bottomed valley with an abrupt ending. Such closed valleys may arise in limestone or karst landscapes, where a layer of permeable rock lies above an impermeable substract such ...
with numerous sinkholes and little
polje A polje, also karst polje or karst field, is a large flat plain found in karstic geological regions of the world, with areas usually . The name derives from the Slavic languages and literally means 'field', whereas in English ''polje'' specific ...
s was formed. The sparse creeks run through a ponor into the mountain and emerge from the Eisbründlhöhle, a small cave about 70 meters below on the eastern foot of the hill. At that sea level the Devonian rocks meet the
loamy Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...
and thus water-damming sediments of the
Riss The Riss (german: Riß) is a small river in Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, right tributary of the Danube. Its source is in Upper Swabia, between Bad Waldsee and Bad Schussenried. It flows north, through the town of Biberach an der Ris ...
terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...
. The subsurface connection at the narrowest part of the hill ridge could be scientifically verified in the 1950s via
dye tracing Dye tracing is a method of tracking and tracing various flows using dye as a flow tracer when added to a liquid. Dye tracing may be used to analyse the flow of the liquid or the transport of objects within the liquid. Dye tracking may be either qu ...
. This means that the hill has its own closed karst water system which is not connected to the Mur valley's
groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidate ...
body.


Flora and fauna

The Buchkogel which is mainly owned by the Gebäude- und Baumanagement (building and construction management) GmbH Graz is covered by thermophilic
deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
and mixed forests. The dominant tree species is '' Fagus sylvatica'' or common beech (German ''Rotbuche'') that possibly led to the hill's name. Other species at the dry warm locations are '' Acer campestre'', '' Quercus petraea'', ''
Sorbus aucuparia ''Sorbus aucuparia'', commonly called rowan (UK: /ˈrəʊən/, US: /ˈroʊən/) and mountain-ash, is a species of deciduous tree or shrub in the rose family. It is a highly variable species, and botanists have used different Circumscription (taxo ...
'', '' Tilia cordata'' and '' Viburnum lantana''. Reforested spruce trees, pretty common in the surroundings, are rather rare to be found. The forests on the western city border of Graz not only serve as recreation area, but also make an important contribution to the
urban climate The climate in urban areas differs from that in neighboring rural areas, as a result of urban development. Urbanization greatly changes the form of the landscape, and also produces changes in an area's air. The study of urban climate is urban climat ...
, especially regarding the air quality. Along with the rest of the ridge Buchkogel serves as
habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...
for the
chamois The chamois (''Rupicapra rupicapra'') or Alpine chamois is a species of goat-antelope native to mountains in Europe, from west to east, including the Alps, the Dinarides, the Tatra and the Carpathian Mountains, the Balkan Mountains, the Ril ...
. The total number of chamois within the Graz city borders has been estimated at 50 to 70 individuals by September 2018. The area north of the Buchkogel has been called ornithologically significant after a breeding bird survey in 2000/01. The observed species include
Grey-headed woodpecker The grey-headed woodpecker (''Picus canus''), also known as the grey-faced woodpecker, is a Eurasian member of the woodpecker family, Picidae. Along with the more commonly found European green woodpecker and the Iberian green woodpecker, it is o ...
,
Green woodpecker There are four species of bird named green woodpecker: * European green woodpecker, ''Picus viridis'' * Iberian green woodpecker The Iberian green woodpecker (''Picus sharpei'') is a medium-sized woodpecker endemic to the Iberian peninsula. It wa ...
,
Stock dove The stock dove (''Columba oenas'') is a species of bird in the family Columbidae, the doves and pigeons. It is widely distributed in the western Palearctic. Taxonomy The stock dove was first formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Li ...
,
Black woodpecker The black woodpecker (''Dryocopus martius'') is a large woodpecker that lives in mature forests across the northern Palearctic. It is the sole representative of its genus in that region. Its range is expanding. The black woodpecker is easily the ...
, Black stork and
Eurasian sparrowhawk The Eurasian sparrowhawk (''Accipiter nisus''), also known as the northern sparrowhawk or simply the sparrowhawk, is a small bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Adult male Eurasian sparrowhawks have bluish grey upperparts and orange-barred ...
, all protected under the Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora. In the area of the blind valley Lesser spotted woodpecker and Red-backed shrike also occur as breeding birds. Four of them (Green woodpecker, Stock dove, Eurasian sparrowhawk and Lesser spotted woodpecker) are included on the
IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...
.


History


Archeological discoveries

Some hundred meters north of the top of Buchkogel the oldest settlement remains in Graz have been discovered. In 2004 their age was first estimated to 4000 BC, two house layouts could later be dated to about 3500 BC after more detailed investigations. The thatched houses were built via
post in ground A post in ground construction, also called earthfast or hole-set posts, is a type of construction in which vertical, roof-bearing timbers, called posts, are in direct contact with the ground. They may be placed into excavated postholes, driven ...
construction with
palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymology ''Palisade' ...
s. During the excavations also a stone axe,
spindle whorl A spindle whorl is a disc or spherical object fitted onto the spindle to increase and maintain the speed of the spin. Historically, whorls have been made of materials like amber, antler, bone, ceramic, coral, glass, stone, metal (iron, lead, lead ...
s and loom weights were found which indicate the existence of a
flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...
workshop. All findings are being linked to the
Lasinja Lasinja is a village and a municipality in Karlovac County, Croatia. The prehistoric Lasinja culture is named after Lasinja. History Culture Demographics According to the 2011 census, the municipality of Lasinja has 1624 inhabitants, 86.58% ...
culture that migrated from Southeast Europe to the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
during the
Chalcolithic period The Copper Age, also called the Chalcolithic (; from grc-gre, χαλκός ''khalkós'', "copper" and  ''líthos'', "stone") or (A)eneolithic (from Latin '' aeneus'' "of copper"), is an archaeological period characterized by regular ...
. On the eastern foothill one of about 15
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
grave fields in Graz has been excavated.''Die Hügelgräber am Bründlteich.'' Information board to Natur Erlebnis Park Plabutsch Buchkogel, published by Liegenschaftsverwaltung der Stadt Graz (in German). The grave field is known since the 15th century and is composed of at least 18 tumuli. In the years 2003 and 2004 three of these tumuli were examined in detail for the first time ever. The middle one located at the edge of the forest turned out to be the most important one and revealed a completely preserved Roman grave for the first time in Graz. The beehive-shaped grave was built of clay-smeared limestone and has a dromos and an almost unharmed grave chamber. The nearly round chamber with a diameter of 2.8 and a height of about 1.4 meters contained the remains of two or three funerals as well as intact grave goods. Along with a completely preserved tripod shell and the shards of a drinking cup the grave contained a
copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
or
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
coin with the face of Antoninus Pius which made it possible to date it back to the second century. The type of grave installation has been called typical for the region of northeast Styria and Burgenland. Both of the other graves were showing signs of
looting Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...
but still contained fragments of a
ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
pot, broken glass and another coin. The first hill was roofed with a steel and glass construction and made visible for the public while the other two were filled up again. Because of its great condition the grave field has been declared a
cultural heritage monument A national heritage site is a heritage site having a value that has been registered by a governmental agency as being of national importance to the cultural heritage or history of that country. Usually such sites are listed in a heritage registe ...
.


Ore mining

Following the alpine orogeny
limonite Limonite () is an iron ore consisting of a mixture of hydrated iron(III) oxide-hydroxides in varying composition. The generic formula is frequently written as FeO(OH)·H2O, although this is not entirely accurate as the ratio of oxide to hydroxid ...
s were formed in the karst vents and pavements. The ore deposit is bound to a mighty, approximately north–south striking joint. It was already in use during the Middle Ages, as
slag Slag is a by-product of smelting (pyrometallurgical) ores and used metals. Broadly, it can be classified as ferrous (by-products of processing iron and steel), ferroalloy (by-product of ferroalloy production) or non-ferrous/base metals (by-prod ...
finds show. Presumptions of Noric or Roman iron smelting could not be verified. The deposit's modern exploration began before
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. In 1938 an exploring permission was granted. The center of the mining area was located about 400 meters north of the top of Buchkogel. The minerals were explored through '' Röschen'', in a 40 meter long, up to six meter wide quarry about 20 tons of ore were mined. Samples were sent to Andritz machine factory and to the
ironworks An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''. Ironworks succeeded bloomeri ...
in Sulzau-Werfen and
Singen Singen (Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Singe'') is an industrial city in the very south of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany and just north of the German-Swiss border. Location Singen is an industrial city situated in the very south ...
. Analyzes showed 61.8 percent
iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
with small quantities of
silicon dioxide Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one ...
and
manganese Manganese is a chemical element with the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy use ...
. After that the deposit on the western slope was explored through adits. For the transportation of the minerals a 450 meters long and up to 40 degrees steep brake incline had been established. Further openings were done by a
winze A winze is a minor connection between different levels in a mine. When worked upwards from a lower level it is usually called a raise; when sunk downward from a higher level it may be called a sump. The top of a winze is located underground and it ...
and an adit near the top of the brake incline. The deposit's thickness varied pretty much and reached an average of only 0.25 meters. According to O. M. Friedrich around 50,000 tons of ore were exposed beginning in 1939 but only a fraction of it was actually mined. In 1943 five workers produced a monthly crop of 40 to 50 tons, 70 percent
iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...
and 30 percent colored ore. The former were delivered as a supplement for open hearth furnaces in Karviná-
Třinec Třinec (; pl, Trzyniec ; german: Trzynietz) is a city in Frýdek-Místek District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 34,000 inhabitants and is the least populated statutory city in the country. The city is an ...
and
Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
, the latter went to a paint factory in
Gösting Gösting (; from Slavic ''gostinca'' = hostel, or ''gozd'' = mountain forest) is the 13th city district of Graz, in the Austrian province of Styria. It is situated in the north-west of the city between the river Mur and the Plabutsch mountain an ...
and an ultramarine factory in Weitenegg,
Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...
. In 1944 another adit was dug on the western slope beneath the already existing one. Since the workforce was officially obliged to build air raid systems, the mining progressed pretty slowly. Following the end of the war and the brake incline's devay, the surroundings of Buchkogel were searched for further ore deposits. Three of them were found including one on the eastern foothill. All together they produced 1605 tons of
ochre Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...
in the first two post-war years. Despite high quality and an overall lack of the resource the mining on Buchkogel was stopped in 1948 eventually.


Tourism

The Buchkogel, along with Plabutsch and Platte (in the eastern part of Graz) is one of the most popular destinations located near the city border. Especially walkers and
mountainbike A mountain bike (MTB) or mountain bicycle is a bicycle designed for off-road cycling. Mountain bikes share some similarities with other bicycles, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, which ...
rs use the wooded hill for their leisure activities. A dense net of hiking trails and forest roads mainly covers the eastern hill slope facing the city. Only the north western slope is inaccessible to the public because of a Bundesheer
shooting range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, sports venue, venue or playing field, field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice or shooting sport, competitions. So ...
. The western Styrian alternative of the '' Mariazeller Weg'', a popular pilgrims' way, leads along the ridge. A frequently used access passes St. Martin's château as well as the remains of vineyard houses and a
gasthaus A Gasthaus (also called ''Gasthof'', ''Landhaus'', or ''Pension'') is a German-style inn or tavern with a bar, a restaurant, banquet facilities and hotel rooms for rent. Gasthäuser are typically found in smaller towns and are often family-owned. ...
before reaching the top. Northwest of St. Martin there is a forest trail that can be reached in ten to 15 minutes from two different
bus stop A bus stop is a place where buses stop for passengers to get on and off the bus. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage, where stops at busy locations may have shelters, seating, and possibly electronic passenger ...
s. On the hill top there is the Kronprinz-Rudolf-Warte, an observation tower that was built in 1879 and is eleven meters high. The iron construction was last renovated in 2017 and offers a view over the city of Graz. An octagonal predecessor structure had stood there since 1840. The historical observation tower is named after the emperor's son Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria who committed suicide ten years after the construction. In 2010 a modern viewing platform was established at 567 meters above sea level, on the western slope of the hill. At 25 meters long, the wooden platform resembles an arrow and lasts on five stanchions up to 13 meters above the ground. The view towards the west covers parts of the Western Styrian hills as well as the Styrian Prealps.Andreas Brudnjak 2014, p. 17–18 (in German).


Bibliography

* * * *


External links

{{Commons category
Hiking Buchkogel – Rudolfswarte
at bergfex.at (in German)


References

Graz Highlands Hills of Austria Graz