Mugel

The Mugel is a 1,630-metre peak in the Gleinalpe range, near Niklasdorf in Styria. It stands at the north-eastern edge of the Hochalpe section and serves as the local mountain for the towns of Leoben and Niklasdorf. Two long ridges slope down from its summit, one towards Leoben and the other towards Niklasdorf, with the Brandgraben valley between them. The southern face drops steeply into the Kleiner Gößgraben without marked paths. A small road from Niklasdorf leads to the Mugelschutzhaus and the broadcasting tower. The mountain holds importance for hikers because the long-distance North-South Trail crosses its summit and forms part of the European E6 route. The Mugelschutzhaus, rebuilt in 2011–2013, sits at 1,626 metres and bears the name of Jakob-Hans Prosl, a former section leader of the ÖTK. The artist Georg Brandner designed the summit cross. Another marked trail, route 519, climbs from Niklasdorf to the top, while further routes approach from the Roßeck to the east. A broadcasting installation stands about 830 metres north-north-west of the summit at 1,433 metres. It includes an 88-metre mast that transmits radio and television signals. The mast’s structure resembles that of the Ochsenkopf transmitter in Germany. Digital radio in the DAB+ standard began from this site in May 2020, using vertical polarisation and single-frequency network operation with other transmitters.