Observation Deck Built on Top of Glacier

An observation deck that sits 3,251 meters above sea level was built on top of the Schnals [shnals] Valley Glacier in South Tyrol, Italy. Called Ötzi Peak, the deck was named after Ötzi the Iceman, the world’s oldest glacier mummy, who lived between 3400 and 3100 BCE. Ötzi Peak, which overlooks the area where the mummy was found in 1991, was designed and built by local architectural group noa* (network of architecture). The observation deck is a light structure made out of steel. It is supported by only a few beams beneath it, making it seem to be floating in the air. Visitors can go close to the edge of the deck to see an unobstructed view of the surroundings. One of the deck's best features is a glass-enclosed area that juts out of one of its sides, directly above the site where Ötzi the Iceman was discovered. Currently, entrance to Ötzi Peak is free. The site is within a stone’s throw of the Glacier Hotel Grawand, which is one of the highest hotels in Europe. To get to the observation deck, visitors can ride a cable car from the town of Maso Corto to the Glacier Hotel Grawand. From there, Ötzi Peak is just a 10-minute walk. The creators of the observation deck said that their goal in building it was to give visitors a sense of freedom and being one with the mountains. They explained that the rugged views and windy weather let visitors experience nature at its fullest.