| Aljaž Tower | |
|---|---|
| Aljažev stolp | |
| AljazevStolp3039.jpg Aljaž Tower. Two inscriptions are visible: Aljažev stolp at the tower, and 1895, the year of construction, at the flag |
|
| General information | |
| Type | storm shelter |
| Location | Mount Triglav summit |
| Construction started | Early 1895 |
| Completed | 7 August 1895 |
| Inaugurated | 7 August 1895 |
| Height | 1.90 metres (6.2 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | additionally guyed tower |
| Diameter | 1.25 m (4.1 ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Owner | Slovenian government |
| Landlord | Ljubljana-Matica Mountaineering Club (unofficially) |
| Structural engineer | Jakob Aljaž |
| Civil engineer | Anton Belec |
The Aljaž Tower (Slovene: Aljažev stolp) or Triglav Tower (Triglavski stolp) is a tower and a storm shelter on the summit of Mount Triglav in Slovenia. Along with Triglav, it is a landmark of Slovenia and a symbol of Slovenehood. The tower was designed by Jakob Aljaž, a priest in the Upper Carniolan village of Dovje, who also had it erected. Today it is owned by the state, tended by the Ljubljana-Matica Mountaineering Club and stands on a parcel belonging to the Municipality of Bohinj.[1]
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Hoping to be able to restrain the increased interest of foreigners in the Slovene mountains, Aljaž decided to purchase the peak of Mount Triglav for a single Austro-Hungarian florin from the then municipality of Dovje.[2] Having done so, he secured himself the right to erect a building on his own real property.
In early 1895, Aljaž drew up plans for a cylindrical tower with a flag on its top and ordered its construction from the tinsmith and his boyhood friend Anton Belec, living in the village of Šentvid nad Ljubljano (now the Ljubljana suburb of Šentvid).[3] After Belec constructed its pieces from iron and zinc-coated sheet steel, he and four workers brought them to the summit of Triglav and put the tower together in only five hours on 7 August 1895. The opening took place that same day. Aljaž donated the shelter, which he called the Triglav Tower[2] and hence became known as the Aljaž Tower, to the Slovene Mountaineering Society.[4]
Later the tower was repainted and renovated several times, several times by Alojz Knafelc. However, it has more or less retained its original appearance.
On the proclamation of Slovenian independence in June 1991, the flag of Slovenia was solemnly raised at the tower.[1] On 5 October 1999, the tower and its immediate surroundings were proclaimed a site of national cultural importance for Slovenia.[5]