Gis, Mountain summit in Lichtenberg, Austria.
Gis is a mountain summit in Lichtenberg reaching approximately 927 meters in elevation with views over the surrounding landscape. The peak is accessible via marked hiking trails that wind through forested and open slopes.
In 1702 Zäzilia Hengstschläger opened a snack station on the mountain that grew into the Gasthaus zur Gis, still owned by the Hengstschläger family. The Giselawarte lookout tower was built in 1856/57 and named after Archduchess Gisela, daughter of Emperor Franz Joseph and Elisabeth. A road from Altlichtenberg with a car park and bus turning point followed in 1957, and the Lichtenberg transmitter has stood on the summit since 1959.
Locals call the mountain "die Gis" after the Giselawarte, the lookout tower completed in 1857 and named for Archduchess Gisela, daughter of Emperor Franz Joseph and Elisabeth. The Hengstschläger family has run the Gasthaus zur Gis since Zäzilia Hengstschläger opened a snack station in 1702. The Gis-Lauf has been held annually since 1974, the Gis Bike Challenge since 2017.
A paved access road, the Gisstraße, runs from Altlichtenberg up to a car park and bus turning area near the summit, built in 1957; the Postbus service from Linz that once used it was discontinued in the early 1990s. The summit is also crossed by the Salzsteigweg long-distance trail and linked to neighbouring villages by a wide path network. In winter, several cross-country ski trails are regularly groomed.
The Giselawarte observation tower on the summit was raised to 17.54 metres in 1959/60 because growing trees were blocking the view; it has been a protected monument since 2009. The nearby Johann Pollack spring recalls the Linz merchant thought to have initiated its construction.
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