Apollontempel am Hundstalsee, Stone temple at Hundstalsee lake, Tyrol, Austria
The Apollontempel am Hundstalsee is a stone structure in the Tyrolean Alps, built directly above the lake it is named after at around 2,289 meters (7,510 ft) elevation. It features a walkable dome and two towers, all assembled from natural stones without mortar.
The structure was started by artists Robert Tribus and Heinz Triendl in 1986 and took two decades to complete, finishing in 2006. Throughout that period, the Austrian Federal Forests raised repeated legal objections that interrupted the work on several occasions.
The inscription 'Know Thyself', carved at the entrance, is a phrase borrowed from ancient Greece and feels especially pointed when read at this altitude with the lake below. The building draws visitors who come not just to hike but to sit, look around, and take in the surroundings slowly.
The temple is reached on foot from Inzinger Alm, with a hike of about an hour and a half that includes steep sections and around 2,130 ft (650 m) of elevation gain. Sturdy footwear is necessary, and starting early in the day helps avoid afternoon weather changes common at this elevation.
During the winters of 2020 and 2021, the left tower was fully destroyed by a rockfall and later rebuilt using the same dry-stone technique as the original. No binding material was used in the repair, keeping the construction method entirely consistent with how the structure was first built.
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