Platte, Mountain summit in Graz, Austria
Platte is a mountain summit in the Grazer Bergland range that reaches 651 meters in elevation and features a flat, tree-surrounded peak area. The plateau-shaped summit spreads across roughly one hectare and forms a natural clearing where multiple hiking trails converge and branch out.
In 1839 Franz Göbel had a wooden viewing pavilion built on the summit, designed by Wenzel Heger; it later decayed completely. On 6 April 1880 the Steirischer Gebirgsverein acquired the summit and its access servitude, and J. G. Wolf's design won among seven entries. The foundation stone was laid in July 1880 and the 18-metre Stephanienwarte opened on 19 September 1880, named after Stephanie of Belgium.
The tower is named after Stephanie of Belgium, who became engaged to Crown Prince Rudolf in March 1880 and married him in May 1881; the same name was given to the Stephaniewarte on the Kahlenberg near Vienna. Since 2010 the Stephanienwarte has been freely accessible, and the Austrian Alpine Club's Graz section owns it.
Access to Platte is available through hiking trails that can be reached from several points around Graz, including the Hinterer Plattenweg route. The flat nature of the summit makes it relatively easy to walk across for visitors of varying abilities.
The 18-metre Stephanienwarte on the plateau was built in 1880 to a design by J. G. Wolf, chosen from seven entries; its base and corners are mortared rubble stone, the sides filled with red brick, and the viewing level is ringed by an ornamental iron grille. It is named after Stephanie of Belgium, betrothed to Crown Prince Rudolf in March 1880.
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