The reconstruction of the Cvilín lookout tower in Krnov in the Bruntál area has been completed

Krnov (Bruntál) – The reconstruction of the lookout tower Cvilín in Krnov on Bruntál has been completed. It lasted 13 months and cost more than 12 million crowns. The first visitors will ascend to its observation platform in August. However, the exact opening date is still unknown. CTK was informed today by the spokesperson of the Krnov town hall, Dita Círová.

The monument-protected structure had to be closed to visitors in 2019 due to its poor technical condition. "The lookout tower underwent a complete reconstruction from the foundations to the observation tower, both outside and inside. It started with reinforcing the foundations and anchoring the stone walls of the supports with the structure of the lookout tower," said Jan Šrubař from the Department of Investments and Property Management.

According to him, the construction company had to deal with other problematic areas, such as concrete cornices, the external access balcony including the staircase, the balcony, reinforcing steel strips, the roof, the internal staircase, and especially the observation terrace, whose stone railing with battlements was not stable.

Part of the construction also included modifications to the access road, public lighting, and the illumination of the lookout tower, which is not yet functioning. "This will probably happen in September. We are waiting for the replacement of the lighting of the neighboring church. Thanks to the new technology, it will then be possible to set the lighting duration for both landmarks for a certain period, thus reducing light pollution," he added.

The twenty-eight-meter-high lookout tower on Cvilín was built between 1902 and 1903 according to the design of architect Ernst Latzel, initiated by the Moravian-Silesian Mountain Association and financially supported by Prince John II of Liechtenstein. Originally, its upper part was topped with a turret with a spiral staircase that allowed viewing the surroundings from a place five meters higher than the current observation platform. However, the turret significantly disrupted the statics of the lookout tower, so it had to be reduced to its current level.

The base of the tower is an irregular octagon with a maximum diameter of 7.9 meters and a height of 4.55 meters above the ground. The thickness of the stone walls is 100 to 110 centimeters. From a height of 4.55 meters, the lookout tower is spatially executed as a cylindrical trunk with an outer diameter of 4.66 meters up to a height of 23.5 meters. The internal part of the structure consists of a wooden staircase with landings. Access to the terrace is provided by a wooden spiral staircase located in the cylindrical turret.