The Tower of health and joy

Tower of health and joy, photo: Amadeja Knez

Categories: tourismhealthother

Organizers: Mountaineering Associations AT Podčetrtek and Pristava, Municipality of Podčetrtek, Tourist Association Visit Podčetrtek

Lokacation: Rudnica, 3254 Podčetrtek (46.16763374347052, 15.573005676051254)

Where good practice takes place: outer space

About good practice

A description of the location

Silavec is the highest peak of Mala Rudnica, with views in all directions. In order to extend the view even further and thus attract tourists and provide an attractive point for many recreational visitors, the idea of a lookout tower was put into practice. Rudnica is a hill above Podčetrtek and Olimje, where a metre below the 622 m high peak of Silavec stands the Lookout Tower of Health and Joy. The highest platform is at a height of 35.23 m, with 185 steps leading up to it and a total height of 40 m. One of the tower's special features is that visitors walk the last 100 metres of the height difference to the top, which promotes the preservation of the natural environment, safety and the traditional hiking practice, the effort a hiker puts in to reach the destination.

The reason for the emergence of good practice

The initiative to build the lookout tower stems from a joint initiative of the AT Podčetrtek Mountaineering Association and the Pristava Mountaineering Association. In order to realise the idea, the mountaineers organised a meeting at the Encijan mountain hut, where they also invited the then Mayor of Podčetrtek to present their plan to him. After several years of coordination and discussions on a suitable location, in 2018 the municipality adopted an amendment to the original plan and a new location was identified. Based on the approved municipal spatial plan, the lookout tower was erected on the land of the Slovenian State Forests. The process of naming the lookout tower was carried out in cooperation with the municipality, with the mountaineers, as representatives of the local community, together with the mayor, suggesting a suitable name.

The operation of best practice

The lookout tower project is the result of cooperation between two local mountaineering associations and the municipality of Podčetrtek, later joined by the Podčetrtek Sports and Tourist Association. The mountaineers took responsibility for marking out eight new hiking trails, which merge into two main descents leading to the top of the tower. The trails are thoughtfully linked to public transport stops, which facilitates accessibility and contributes to an even distribution of visitors in the area. In addition to the annual May Day hike and the E7 Pig Run, hikes to the tower are organised monthly. The Pristava Mountaineering Association takes care of the maintenance of the trails and the landscaping of the tower, at the foot of which a stand has been set up with refreshments and snacks. The fact that the tower is visited by around 30 people a day shows the popularity and community value of the place. The Tourist Board is working to involve the community even more, which was achieved by organising a photo competition. It culminated in a month-long exhibition of 30 selected photographs at the staircase of the tower, the top 5 of which were awarded travel packages.

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