The Tower of Love on Žusem is located on the north-eastern part of Veliki špiček (669 m), the highest point on Žusem, representing the northern edge of the Kozjansko region.
The idea of setting up a 25.90 m-high outlook tower from larch wood, which is the highest wooden tower in Slovenia, arose in the Žusem Mountaineering Association some time ago. The tower was named “The Tower of Love” because a church consecrated to St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers, is located on the hill of Žusem. The princes of Žusem, first mentioned as early as 1203, found their shelter on Žusem, as still proven by castle ruins and numerous legends circulating about them.
There are 116 stairs leading to the top of the tower, with 22 landings in between and two viewing platforms. In addition to the wood, concrete and more than a half of ton of stainless metal also had to be transported to the top of the hill, with no road leading to it. Thus, the tower, including the material and voluntary work, is worth more than Euro 150,000.
The view from the 25.9-metre-high tower is breathtaking. You can see Croatia, Hungary, Austria, as well as Triglav. In general, the Tower of Love already connected parts of Slovenia during its construction: The larch wood came from the Koroška region and was processed in Komenda. The tower obtained its operating permit only two days before its official opening, and is said to last for at least 50 years! A wishing bell was also placed on top of the tower, for all visitors rather than just
lovers. The Žusem Mountaineering Association believes that it will be the Tower of Love which will bring more visitors to their place. They also wish for a wedding, or at least an engagement, to take place right there on their tower.
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Tehnični podatki: Tower height: 25.90 m Floor plan of foundations: 6.22 x 6.22 m Number of stairs: 116 Number of landings: 22
Viewing platforms: 2 |
Porabljeni materiali: 33 m3 of reinforced concrete for the foundations 45 m3 processed larch wood 1,500 kg of stainless metal (inox) (anchors, pins, screws, spacers, a lighting conductor) Endless hours of voluntary work |
Numerous paths presented in the file below lead to the tower.
Traditional Hikes:
- Valentine’s Night Hike (on the Saturday closest to 14 February)
- The Hike “Hundred Women to Žusem” (on Women’s Day – 8 March)
