| Earth pyramids | |
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A few hundred years ago there happened a landslide because of a storm, which cut off the barrow-path between the farm Thalerhof and Aschbach. It would have been easy to fill up the demolition-spot with earth, but no one did it, because it wasn’t an important connection. In the year 1882 there happened another terrific storm and a huge ditch was formed. Because of the repeated wash-outs and eroding of the side-slopes there were formed loamy column-structures with stones lying on them. These earth pyramids have changed constantly and mostly in winter- and spring-time new columns are being created: the erosion-zone lies at an altitude of 1,550 - 1,750 metres and represents the most important occurrence of earth pyramids of the Puster Valley, mostly because of the huge differences in shape. |
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Earth pyramids do have something in common with mountain lakes and the Dolomites: sometimes it is very difficult to see, what colour they really are. The colour changes according to the time of day and the light conditions, and the ones who visit the same group several times, will feel differently about the colouring every time. This applies also to the Earth pyramids of Platten/Percha. |
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When the glaring sun shines on them, they seem to be yellowish, when the sky is cloudy, the yellow shade disappears nearly completely and they become brownish. In the twilight they often seem to be ash grey. The disputation about their name is even more complicate: The before mentioned name is not the only one we hear, even though it is the most common name for them. They are also called the Earth pyramids of Aschbach, the Earth pyramids of Wielenberg and the Litschbacher Pyramids. |
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Therefore the impression arises that there are a whole lot of occurrences like this in the surroundings of Bruneck. At the turn of the century the whole erosion-zone was called Maria Theresia, as the outlines of it, seen from Bruneck, reminded of the portrait of the Austrian empress (nowadays this shape has disappeared because of the growing forest). We owe the first, relatively early, detailed descriptions of the Earth pyramids of Platten to Prof. Carl Meusburger, who has been named several times in connection with the South Tyrolean Earth pyramids. The researcher gives an accurate characterization of them: "Tiny stones, stuck in the side-walls of the pyramids, create now and then dainty side-columns and often such a rich structure in order to equate them with a vault-pillar of a huge Gothic Cathedral". Indeed, this is a feature that distinct these earth pyramids from all the others. Not only unselected "classical" pillows dominate, but a huge variety of shapes. Apart from tiny, dainty pyramids - some of them are very high and slender - mostly stocky pyramids stand out, which hardly become narrower on the top, but are gnawn away by the erosion, in order that a whole bunch of tiny towers have been formed. Therefore they look very fragile, despite their considerable circumference, and people wonder why they haven’t been crushed by the mighty cover-stones so far. Nowadays the Earth pyramids of Percha are one of the most important and well-known sights of the Puster Valley. They can be easily reached in approximately 45 minutes time by following the well marked hike-path from Oberwielenbach near Percha. Starting from Platten it takes about 30 minutes of walk. Please use the marked parking-spots, as there are no parking areas near the pyramids. |
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