Lookout Tower with Treetop Walk in Bachledka, High Tatras, Slovakia

At the end of the tree-top walk with a length of about 600 m (1,968.5 ft), visitors are greeted by a 32 m (105 ft) high lookout tower with a diameter of 7.63 m (25 ft). The timber structure designed as a 9-sided cylinder was constructed by WIEHAG Timber Construction GmbH. The supporting structure consists of nine glulam beams arranged in a rotationally symmetrical pattern with an angle difference of 40° between each beam. The structure is reinforced by a ring-shaped network of diagonal struts anchored to the inside of the timber columns. A spiral ramp with a maximum gradient of 6% leads up the outer edge of the tower. It consists of multi-layer glulam beams with plank covering, which rest on cantilever beams made of steel.

The top platform provides visitors with a spectacular 360-degree view of the mountain landscape of the High Tatras. A special highlight is the 75 m² (807.3 ft²) walkable net in the middle of the platform and a 60 m long slide that leads from the mezzanine at the height of 25 m (82 ft) back to the ground.

The load is transferred from the timber columns via steel beams into reinforced concrete foundations and above that into the subsoil. The foundations are built on uniformly supporting soil so that no differential settlement can occur at the individual supports.

The lookout tower near Bachledka thus combines innovative timber structure, safe construction, and a unique nature experience to create an impressive tourist attraction.