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‘Lighthouse’ planned for Swiss mountain top

Model of new tower on Klein Titlis
The Titlis is a popular tourist destination in central Switzerland. with up to 2,000 visitors a day. Source: Herzog & De Meuron

Plans have been presented to upgrade a popular tourist destination on a mountain top in central Switzerland.

As part of the CHF100 million ($100 million) project on the Titlis, a building made of steel and glass will be added to the existing tower for technical installations on 3,028 metres (9,934 feet) altitude.

A new roof terrace on the summit station of the cable car will also be built as well as escalators taking visitors directly to a nearby glacier, according to the operatorsExternal link.

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“We have the ambition to combine practical purposes and aesthetics here on the Titlis,” said Pierre de Meuron of the renowned Swiss architecture firm, Herzog & De MeuronExternal link., at a presentation on Monday.

It’s expected to take up to six years to conclude the project.

Currently about one million tourists travel to the Titlis every year.

The existing installations on Klein Titlis were opened in 1967. A cable car system connects the resort of Engelberg – about 35km (22 miles) south of Lucerne – with the summit of Klein Titlis.

Six years ago, the highest elevation suspension bridge in Europe was inaugurated, giving a view across the Alps.

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Competing to carry tourists up the Alps

This content was published on There are 500 mountain transport companies running nearly 1,800 different types of lifts in the Swiss Alps. With operating costs so high and the local economies depending on tourists, there is stiff competition to attract visitors by offering exciting rides. The Titlis mountain has a rotating cable car. Samnaun boasts the world’s first double-decker cable…

Read more: Competing to carry tourists up the Alps

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