The lookout tower on Dobrošov near Náchod also served the Czechoslovak army

Prague - The iconic observation tower in Dobrošov near Náchod, which was built simultaneously with the Jirásková tourist lodge, has been one of the most famous destinations for hikers in this corner of the Orlické Mountains since it was opened to the public on December 1, 1923. From the balcony of the 25-meter-high tower, designed by Dušan Jurkovič, there is a unique view of the Krkonoš mountains, Náchod, the Jestřebí Mountains, the Adršpach-Teplice rocks, the Ruprechtický Špičák, and the Orlické Mountains themselves when the weather is nice.

The lodge with the observation tower was established in Dobrošov in 1895 by the Náchod branch of the Club of Czech Tourists, and one of the first tourist shelters in the Czech part of the monarchy quickly gained popularity. However, the relatively small building with only a six-meter-high tower soon could not cope with the influx of visitors, and therefore preparations for a new building began even before World War I. At that time, the Náchod tourists chose Jurkovič as their architect, who had recently completed a tourist lodge in Peklo near nearby Nové Město nad Metují.

"It is finally decided: to build an elegantly shaped, shingle-covered, laid on a stone foundation, purposefully designed observation tower, whose hexagonal, banded tower with a wide wooden balcony will adorn the top of the historic Dobrošov," read the contemporary press on the project, whose completion was delayed by the outbreak of the "Great War." Only after its end and the establishment of Czechoslovakia could a public collection be announced, and construction began in 1921.

The lodge and the observation tower were completed in two years, and the ceremonial opening in the presence of Alois Jirásek himself took place at the end of September 1923, but the accommodation with the viewpoint opened to the general public only about two months later. At the end of the 1930s, however, tourists were replaced by soldiers who had an artillery fortress nearby – part of the border fortifications – and used the observation platform of the tower as a lookout. In December 1938, however, the soldiers left and tourists could return.

Tourist activity in Dobrošov did not cease even during the following decades, although the owners changed. For the first time in 1950, when the state confiscated the lodge from the Club of Czech Tourists. At the beginning of the 1990s, the building was acquired by the district office in Náchod, from which the Club of Czech Tourists finally bought back the lodge in 1995. However, the lodge and the observation tower paid their dues for years of neglect in maintenance, and it was not until the turn of the century that they finally received a thorough reconstruction. They reopened in September 2002 after four years of repairs.