The villages want to dismantle the lookout tower on Velký Kosíř in the spring; it has a defective structure

Slatinky - The Microregion Kosířsko plans to start the dismantling of the approximately 12-year-old wooden lookout tower on the top of Velký Kosíř next spring, which is a prominent landmark in the flat landscape on the border of Prostějov and Olomouc regions. Structural engineers deemed the lookout tower incapable of operation and its repair would not be cost-effective. The representatives of the nine member municipalities of the microregion approved the dismantling of the structure. The old lookout's stone foundation will remain on site for a potential new viewpoint. This was stated today by the chairman of the Microregion Kosířsko, Dalibor Kolář, in response to a query from ČTK.

The lookout tower on Velký Kosíř was opened in the summer of 2013, with the viewing platform at a height of 25 meters. The construction then cost 6.5 million crowns, with three million contributed by the Olomouc region and other funding from donors and surrounding municipalities. Representatives of the Kosířsko microregion discovered the first deficiencies concerning the slope of the terraces shortly after the official opening of the lookout tower. Subsequently, faults in the staircase construction were also identified, which could not be claimed. Due to defects in the wooden structure of the walkway, a decision was made in the fall of 2023 to close the lookout for safety reasons.

"Voting by all councils and subsequently the general assembly of the microregion has already taken place. The option of dismantling the upper lookout tower structure and building a new element was adopted. Most likely, it will again be a lookout tower. We are currently working on creating documentation for the demolition of the structure and preparing materials for announcing an architectural competition focused on the design of the new element," Kolář stated.

The municipalities want to start the dismantling of the lookout tower in the spring of next year. "The upcoming traditional New Year's ascent to Kosíř will still have the lookout in the background. We plan to start the work only in the spring season," Kolář noted. According to him, the costs for the dismantling of the wooden lookout tower and the construction of the new element will arise from the forthcoming documentation and architectural competition.

In the spring of this year, representatives of the microregion preliminarily calculated that repairing the lookout tower would require a one-time investment of 1.5 million crowns and regular maintenance would cost an additional 300,000 crowns annually. Demolishing the structure and constructing a new lookout using the original documentation or architectural solution would require 17 million crowns, and additional funds would need to be invested in maintenance. Ultimately, the councilors supported the dismantling of the lookout tower. Materials from the dismantled structure of the lookout tower could be used in building the new element.

The lookout tower, which offers views of the flat Haná region, the Drahanská Highlands, Bouzov Hills, and the silhouette of the Nízký Jeseník, has a stone base with facilities and a wooden tube with steel elements. There was a lookout tower at Velký Kosíř from 1927 to 1939, which had to be removed due to poor technical condition. Velký Kosíř (441 m above sea level) is a dominant feature of the Haná plain, located between the towns of Kostelec na Hané, Čechy pod Kosířem, and Slatinice. It is steeped in many myths. In 1990, the Velký Kosíř nature park was established.