Earth Pyramids Of Platten
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The earth pyramids of Platten (German: ''Erdpyramiden von Platten'' or ''Erdpyramiden bei Oberwielenbach''; it, Piramidi di Plata ) are earth pyramids located in Platten in the municipality of
Percha Percha (; it, Perca ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about northeast of Bolzano. This Percha is not to be confused with Percha of the Federal Republic of Germany. Geography As of 31 December 2015, it h ...
, near Bruneck in
South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. The erosion area is located at an altitude of 1550 to 1750 meters. What is so impressive about the pyramids of Platten is their wildness which reminds at the same time also of their fragility. The pyramids of Platten belong to the most beautiful natural monuments of South Tyrol such as the
earth pyramids of Ritten The earth pyramids of Ritten (German: ''Erdpyramiden am Ritten''; it, Piramidi di terra del Renon ) are a natural monument that is located on the Ritten, a plateau not far from Bolzano in northern Italy. Earth pyramids are a fairly widespread p ...
and part of the
earth pyramids of South Tyrol The earth pyramids in South Tyrol are a special natural phenomenon that comes about in particular terrain, usually after a landslide or an unhinging of the earth. The main cause of the formation of earth pyramids is the continuous alternation ...
. They were described in a scientific manner for the first time by Karl Meusburger in 1914 .Karl Meusburger, ''Die Erdpyramiden bei Bruneck'' (''The earth pyramides near Bruneck'', in "Zeitschrift des Ferdinandeums für Tirol und Vorarlberg" (Journal of the
Ferdinandeum The Tyrolean State Museum (german: Tiroler Landesmuseum), also known as the Ferdinandeum after Archduke Ferdinand, is located in Innsbruck, Austria. It was founded in 1823 by the Tyrolean State Museum Ferdinandeum Society (''Verein Tiroler Lande ...
for Tyrol and Vorarlberg, III/58, 1914, pp. 453-455.


History

Following a cloudburst, a few centuries ago, there came a landslide which cut off the roads connecting the villages in the surroundings of Aschbach. In 1882, again after a heavy cloudburst, a new fault was formed. Following eluviations and erosions these earth pyramids are constantly changing; that is due to the succession of severe cold spells in winter and hot summers which have the effect of continually forming new ones.


Getting There and Hiking Route

From the main road we deter at Percha/Percia and drive less than 6 km up into Oberwielenbach and beyond it a bit more to the big parking place. That road continues to the hamlet of Platten, but before reaching it, another narrow mountain road deters left, heading towards the Gönner Alm (alpine pasture). On the crossroads there's the inscription that this mountain road leads also towards the pyramids, but it is closed for public traffic (2017). So, it's best to start the walk up to the pyramids before, on the big parking place, 1430 m, or eventually later, from Platten. From the big parking place, 1430 m, a good, marked path goes up into the woods. First it ascends a bit, then does a lot of crossing the slopes towards the right. When we reach out of the woods, hitting the before mentioned mountain road, we follow the road only to the big left turn. From there we go into the forest again and in a few minutes we reach the big ravine with the pyramids. Some 30 minutes till here. To return, it is best to use the approach route, even if we descend along the ravine to the lower lookout point. From there a path goes further down, but it descends more than needed and makes the return a bit longer.


References


External links

{{Commonscat * http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/earth-pyramids-of-platten Geography of South Tyrol Erosion landforms