Preserving the Panoramas

Preserving the Panoramas

That the once indomitable Sonnenberg mountain in Naturns/Naturno has in recent decades become one of the most beautiful hiking areas in South Tyrol, is large part due to Konrad Götsch.

A local mountain farmer who also happens to be the custodian of the Unterstell cableway, he played a leading role in its creation. The spectacular viewing platform was also the result of Götsch’s lifelong vision. Inaugurated in 2015, this scenic lookout-point was built with the help of architect, Karl Götsch, who is also Konrad’s brother. At a length of 16 m and weighing 9 tons, the steel grillwork platform blends perfectly into the surrounding terrain. On the same site as the new platform, once stood a basic cableway trestle which, as a young boy, Konrad often climbed to admire the unobstructed view. He was dismayed one day to discover that the trestle had been dismantled, and many years were to pass before he decided to build his own viewing platform. In fulfilling his life-long dream, Konrad thus shared his love for the magnificent panoramas with others.
Completed in 2020, a smaller viewing platform lies not far from Unterstell overlooking the Vinschgau Valley and Juval Castle. Thanks to its excellent acoustics, it was dubbed the “Music Balcony”, and has been used by the Naturns Traditional Music Ensemble for special outdoor recordings. At the height of the pandemic, when live concerts in Europe had all but ceased, performances from this wonderful outdoor concert venue were transmitted via the internet. Since then, other bands and musical ensembles have also started performing outdoors: on high Alpine pastures and hiking trails, on farms and meadows – as well as in the grounds of castles and hotels.
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