Wil Tower

The Wil Tower is a wooden observation tower which was built in the forest of Wil in Switzerland by Julius Natterer.^[1][2] The tower site is located some 747 metres (2,451 ft) above sea level. It was opened for public use on 8 July 2006.

Wil tower in 2010

Construction

The tower is an open structure, rising on 6 slanted columns from three equidistant ground support points. A circular stairway (189 steps) rises in the center of the columns, opening onto a roofed observation deck. Although the structure rises some 34 metres (112 ft) above the ground, the deck is barely above the surrounding trees.^[3]

The structure is entirely of wood, all obtained from the surrounding forest. The columns are Douglas-fir and the stairway is of Silver fir. The wood was harvested in the early months of 2005 and allowed to dry naturally for a year before construction began.