Plankogel, Mountain summit in Styria, Austria

Plankogel is a 1531 m summit in the Grazer Bergland, in the east of the Teichalm-Sommeralm pasture area north of Sankt Kathrein am Offenegg. Its broad, largely treeless top lies close to the Sommeralmstraße (L355) and is built mainly of schists such as Passailer Phyllit. The ridge runs west to Heulantsch and Hochlantsch, east to Streberkogel and Offner Berg; the Steinkogel is an immediate eastern sub-peak.

Iron ore was mined at Plankogel from 1790, when Weichard Konrad Graf von Trautmannsdorf received permission to run a smelting furnace in Birkfeld. The Barbarastollen tunnel, a powder tower and a bell tower were built; the ore was described in 1810 as poorly suited to smelting, and the furnace closed in 1822. Mining resumed in 1842 with ore sent to Breitenau, and in 1940 small amounts were extracted by open pit and sent to Essen for test smelting. All plans were abandoned in 1956 when no lease was agreed.

The peak area is largely treeless because the upper tree line was lowered to create pasture; below it stands a mixed conifer forest with scattered green alder. On the hummocky meadows under the summit, dwarf shrubs such as heather, blueberry and lingonberry grow on the wind- and drought-exposed hummock fronts, while the hollows between them hold moisture-loving plants like globeflower and broad-leaved helleborine. The neighbouring Steinkogel gave its name to the folk music group Die Stoakogler.

The broad, largely treeless summit area lies close to the Sommeralmstraße (L355), so it is often visited on foot or by car. From the summit the ridge runs west toward Heulantsch (1471 m) and Hochlantsch and east toward Streberkogel (1447 m) and Offner Berg (1293 m). The nearest village is Gasen, about three kilometres north in a ravine.

The first wind turbine in Styria stood on Plankogel, which is why the summit is known beyond the region. Iron ore was mined here from 1790 until the Second World War; the Barbarastollen adit is now derelict. The neighbouring Steinkogel gave its name to the folk music group Die Stoakogler.