Rogaška Slatina, a town in the east of the country known for its natural spas and unique mineral water, has added a new attraction by inaugurating a 106-metre observation tower, the tallest in Slovenia.

The Crystal tower, which cost €5 million to build, replaced the 89-metre Crystal Palace in Ljubljana's BTC commercial district to claim the title as the country's tallest building, save for the 360-metre chimney of the former Trbovlje thermal power station.

The goal is to attract 60,000 visitors a year, which would mean roughly €600,000 in annual revenue.

The tower features an information point and a shop on the ground floor and a three-storey crystal-shaped top with a 40-seat cafe at 96 metres. The observation terrace is located at 104 metres.

The mezzanine features a virtual reality room, where the Pegasus winged horse will take visitors, wearing VR goggles, on a ride through the history of Rogaška Slatina.

Accessible by a 35-second elevator ride or by 594 stairs, the tower can accommodate 150 visitors.

These will also be able to challenge their fear of heights by looking down or stepping onto a transparent, glass-floor section running from the top to the bottom of the building.

The Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport chipped in €2 million for the project, while the rest of the funding came from the municipality, which also received €600,000 in donations.

The project raised considerable controversy even before construction started, but the local community backed it in a referendum in December 2020.

Slovenia has seen a frenzy of tower construction after the success of the Vinarium Tower in Lendava, which has attracted tens of thousands of tourists to the region.