The tower is close to the summit of the Titlis mountain in canton Obwalden.
Keystone-SDA
On Friday, the Engelberg ski area in canton Obwalden unveiled the conversion of an antenna tower into a visitor attraction featuring a restaurant and shop. At an altitude of 3,020m, it marks a European record.
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After three years’ work, the Titlis Tower is the highest habitable tower on the continent. The construction, dating from the 1980s, was previously used as a telecoms transmission tower. It is located close to a glacier and at the top of the highest ski lift in the area, a few hundred metres from the summit of the Titlis mountain.
The tower will charge CHF19 ($24.30) to access a platform that can hold up to 500 people. There are also two glazed luxury containers housing a 125-seat restaurant run by an award-winning chef, and a boutique store for a luxury watch brand. It is also equipped with new staircases and lifts. At a cost of CHF150 million, the whole project was designed by the Herzog & de Meuron architects.
There will not be an inauguration celebration for the tower, out of respect for the victim of a fatal ski lift accident on March 18 in the Engelberg ski area. The tower will be publicly open from Monday.
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The Titlis skilift company also plans to build a new arrival station by 2029 to replace the existing one at the foot of the tower.
The project has led to an exchange of 1500 m2 of land between cantons Obwalden and Bern. The planned infrastructure will therefore be located solely on Obwalden’s territory.
Adapted from French by AI/dos
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