The Wil Tower is a wooden observation tower

Observation tower

An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision. They are usually at least tall and made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches...

 which was built in the forest of Wil

Wil

Wil is the capital of the Wahlkreis of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Wil is the third largest city in the Canton of St. Gallen, after the city of St...

 in Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

. The tower site is located some 747 meters above sea level. It was opened for public use on 8 July 2006.

Construction

The tower is an open structure, rising on 6 slanted columns from three equidistant ground support points. A circular stairway (189 steps) rises in the center of the columns, opening onto a roofed observation deck. Although the structure rises some 34 meters above the ground, the deck is barely above the surrounding trees.

The structure is entirely of wood, all obtained from the surrounding forest. The columns are Douglas-fir

Douglas-fir

Douglas-fir is one of the English common names for evergreen coniferous trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. Other common names include Douglas tree, and Oregon pine. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia...

 and the stairway is of Silver fir. The wood was harvested in the early months of 2005 and allowed to dry naturally for a year before construction began.