Old Tower RudolfsTurm

Above Hallstatt town there is the so called 'RudolfsTurm' a tower that was originally built in medieval times.

Nowadays you can go up there with a modern mountain train.

Or you spend some time and energy in walking up there. The following photo shows an old map, so you might get an updated one if you like bodily exercises.

The tower was built around 1284 by the Duke Albrecht I. of Austria (named to the honour of his father King Rudolf of Habsburg). It's purpose was to guard the salt mines as a defence tower for fortification. In these times there were armed hostilities between the UpperAustrian Souvereign and the ArchBishop of Salzburg.

Later on, the tower served the purpose for broad observation as well as supervision and inspection of the surface mining of salt.

Nowadays you can take some rest here, enjoy some coffee or good beer and take a breath taking view at the landscape.

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In the 19th century some building measures were done. The tower got a new appearance.
Here you can have two looks at what the tower looked like before.
The medieval roof structure with the battlement parapet were removed. A guardroom was built.

Thinking about old towers makes me remember some towers and views in the 'New World', my visit to New York in 1993.

Of course I had to 'go' up the Empire State Building and to ...

... take a look from there.

Recently I digitalized my old slides (slide shows).

A view like in the game GTA2 which I played on a Sony Play Station a good while ago.

So bye for now, you'd surly enjoy a visit to this historic area.