Gfieder

The Gfieder is a hill rising to 609 metres in southern Lower Austria. It stands west of Ternitz, where the Sierning meets the Schwarza. The hill is crowned by the Gfiederwarte, an observation tower owned by the Austrian Tourist Club’s Ternitz section. The first lookout was built here in 1887. In 1988 a 14-metre tower replaced it, and in 2004 a new one took its place. From the platform visitors can see as far as Neusiedler See on clear days. The hill is also known for the Vierbrüderbaum, a Scots pine whose four trunks date back to the year 980. A path leads up the western slope to the tower. Nearby, in Bürg-Vöstenhof, the remains of the Vierbrüderbaum stand. Two of its trunks were struck by lightning in 1972 and later removed, leaving only two upright stems. The tree has been a protected natural monument since 1930.