Haidel

Haidel is a mountain on the border between Bavaria in Germany and Lower Austria. It stands in the Bavarian Forest, a range of low, rounded summits covered with dark spruce and beech woods. The summit reaches 1,167 metres above sea level and overlooks the Danube valley to the north and the Bohemian Forest to the south. On clear days the Alps appear on the horizon, though the view is often lost to storms and dense forest. In 1925 a storm stripped the trees from the summit and blocked the long-distance view. To restore the outlook, a 15-metre observation tower was built in 1934. The tower gave visitors a clear line of sight across the two forests and towards the Alps. After only fourteen years the structure was taken down again in 1948 because it had become unsafe. Today the summit is reached by a forest track that climbs from the village of Haidmühle. The path passes through spruce plantations and mixed woodland before emerging onto open ground near the old tower site. From the summit there are wide views over the Bavarian Forest National Park and into Lower Austria. On calm days the Alps rise above the horizon, while the Danube valley stretches away to the north.