Kreuzkogel

The Kreuzkogel is a 496-metre hill on the eastern edge of the Sausal range in the Austrian province of Styria. It stands near the district capital of Leibnitz and belongs to the South Styrian Nature Park. The hill overlooks the Sulm valley and the Leibnitzer Feld plain to the east. Local winegrowers decided in 1849 to build a cross and a small viewing pavilion at the summit. The wooden structure on its stone base was opened in 1850 and has been enlarged several times, most recently in the 1980s. Today the Kreuzkogelwarte is a 13.3-metre tower with a 5.7-metre platform reached by 47 steps. From there walkers can see from the Hochschwab in the north to the Koralpe in the west. A short walk south lies the Silberbergwarte, a 3-metre stone tower built in 1871. Its metal viewing deck, added in 1995, is supported by railway rails and reached by thirteen steps. The view takes in Schloss Seggau, the Frauenberg pilgrimage church and the vineyards around the Sulmsee. Both towers stand on the slopes of the Kreuzkogel, where vineyards give way to forest on the eastern side.