The lookout tower on Velké Deštné in the Orlické Mountains will be in October

Hradec Králové - The lookout tower on Velká Deštná in the Orlické Mountains, costing 4.7 million crowns including VAT, will open in October. It is one of four new lookout towers that will be built in the Hradec Králové Region and is part of a project for the restoration of the ridge trail in the Czech-Polish border area with financial support from the EU. This was announced today by representatives of the regional authority. The construction of the lookout tower on Velká Deštná, the highest peak of the Orlické Mountains, began in the fall and is the furthest along compared to the other planned lookout towers.

"The construction is currently taking place at the site of the construction company, after which it will be transported to the location and built on already poured foundations," said Jaroslav Štefek, secretary of the Euroregion Glacensis.

The remaining three lookout towers from the project in the Hradec Králové Region are to be built above Nový Hrádek in the Náchod region, near Olešnice in the Orlické Mountains, and in Vysoká Srbská. The constructions are at different stages of preparation and development. "At the beginning of next year, a lookout tower in Olešnice in the Orlické Mountains and in Vysoká Srbská should follow," Štefek stated.

The constructions near Olešnice and Vysoká Srbská have completed foundations, and in both cases, the anticipated opening date is at the beginning of 2020. The last to be built will be the lookout tower near Nový Hrádek, which is to be created from the tube of a former wind turbine. The town hall must revise the project documentation after an unsuccessful competition. They would like to have a new competition for a construction company by the end of the year, and if everything goes according to plan, it should be accessible to the public in the second half of next year.

The construction of four lookout towers in the Hradec Králové Region falls under the project Czech-Polish Ridge Trail - Eastern Part, which is managed by Euroregion Glacensis, uniting cities and municipalities on both the Czech and Polish sides. The goal of the project is to revitalize the Czech-Polish border area and support tourism. Within this project, lookout towers Čáp, Na Signálu, and Žernov in the Kladské border region or Eliška near Trutnov have already been built. However, not only lookout towers are being constructed; information centers are also planned in Nový Hrádek and in Neratov near the upcoming bridge, which will connect the Czech and Polish banks of the Divoká Orlice River. The bridge in Neratov is expected to be built later this year. The project in the border area, approximately between Ještěd and Praděd, aims to build 11 lookout towers and establish new signage for the ridge trail.

"The Hradec Králové Region, as one of a total of 18 partners, is responsible for marking the trail in its area. The ridge trail predominantly runs through it. The actual marking will be carried out by members of the Club of Czech Tourists. The Hradec Králové Region has also committed to developing map materials for the entire area involved in the project, including areas of other regions and parts of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship," stated Governor Jiří Štěpán (ČSSD).

The total budget for the project, which is to be completed in 2020, is over 3.5 million euros, approximately 90 million crowns. Of this, 85 percent of the costs will be covered by grants from the Czech-Polish Interreg program, and five percent of the costs for the Czech partners from the state budget of the Czech Republic.