Prague - A selection of information about constructions on the highest peaks of significant mountain ranges in the Czech Republic (a new observation tower will be ceremonially opened on the highest peak of the Orlické Mountains, Velká Deštná, on October 26; listed by the height of the peak):
Sněžka (1603 meters), Krkonošsko - The expansive summit of the tallest mountain in the Czech Republic lies on the Czech-Polish border. The oldest structure is the rotunda chapel of Saint Lawrence from the 17th century, located on the Polish side of the mountain. Since the mid-19th century, a building of the original post office stood on Sněžka; the historic structure was dismantled in 2009 and since August of that year has been serving as a post office at Javorová skála near the village of Monínec in the Central Bohemian Region. In 2007, a new modern building of the Czech post office, designed by architects Martin Rajniš and Patrik Hoffman, was consecrated on the mountain, offering tourists refreshments, post office services, information about the Krkonošsko Mountains, and also an ascent to the viewing terrace on the roof of the building. At the summit of Sněžka, there is also a Polish observatory and a hut with a restaurant, as well as a stone trigonometric obelisk. Just below the summit is the terminal station of the cable car from Pec pod Sněžkou.
Praděd (1491 meters), Jeseníky - The peak of the highest mountain in the Jeseníky Mountains and the whole of Moravia and Silesia. The climate is very harsh here, with an average annual temperature not exceeding 1 °C. The tip of the 146-meter-high television transmitter located at the summit is the highest point in the Czech Republic. Construction of the transmitter, which replaced the original stone observation tower that collapsed in 1959, began in 1969 based on a design by architect Jan Liška and was completed 11 years later. The structure also features a hotel with a restaurant, and from the glass observation platform at a height of 73 meters, which is also the highest viewpoint in the Czech Republic, one can see as far as the Krkonošsko Mountains and the High Tatras under ideal conditions.
Králický Sněžník (1424 meters), Králický Sněžník - The highest peak of the mountain range of the same name, lies on the border with Poland. From 1899 to 1973, a stone observation tower stood here, and on the southern slope below the summit is the spring of the Morava River. A little below the summit is the boundary stone of the Czech Kingdom, Moravian Margraviate, and Kladsko County.
Plechý (1378 meters), Šumava - Located on the Czech-Austrian border, it is the highest peak of both the Czech and Austrian parts of Šumava. Below the hill lies glacial Plešné Lake at an altitude of 1089 meters, covering an area of 7.5 hectares. Below the summit on the rock wall, a monument was erected from 1876 to 1877 to the poet of Šumava, Czech-Austrian writer Adalbert Stifter.
Lysá hora (1323 meters), Beskydy - The highest peak of the Beskydy Mountains is one of the coldest, rainiest, and windiest places in the Czech Republic. From 1939 to 1945, it was the highest point of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. At the summit, there is a telecommunications transmitter, a weather station, and several mountain lodges. In 1935, Bezručova chata of the Czech Tourist Club was built here, named after the poet Petr Bezruč, which burned down in 1978. Since 2015, a new Bezručova chata has been serving tourists.
Klínovec (1244 meters), Krušné hory - The highest peak of the Krušné Mountains has a rich history of lookout structures. As early as 1817, a simple wooden pyramid was erected here, which was replaced by a lookout gazebo twenty years later. In 1884, an octagonal 24-meter-high stone tower providing a distant circular view was built here. Later, a restaurant was added, and in the 1960s, an 89-meter-high reinforced concrete television transmitter was built nearby. Until 1998, the tower on Klínovec held the title of the highest lookout tower in the Czech Republic, which is currently held by the observation tower on Boubín in the Šumava Mountains (1362 meters). Over time, the structure deteriorated, it was closed to the public from the summer of 2004, and the reconstruction of the tower began in the summer of 2012. The tower's stability was damaged to such an extent that the structure had to be dismantled stone by stone and then carefully reassembled. A replica of the original lookout tower was opened to the public in October 2013 and was awarded as the best building in the Karlovy Vary Region 2014 competition by an expert jury. However, the hotel at the summit of Klínovec remains in poor condition. A cable car from Jáchymov leads to the peak.
Smrk (1125 meters), Rychlebské Mountains - A flat peak with a view near the Polish border. Near the summit, there is a historical tripoint of Moravia, Silesia, and Poland.
Smrk (1124 meters), Jizerské Mountains - The highest mountain of the Czech part of the Jizerské Mountains is located on the Czech-Polish border. A wooden observation tower was opened on this dominant peak of the Frýdlant region in 1892. It became a popular destination for tourists, but it collapsed in the early 1950s. Efforts to restore the tower at Smrk began in the early 1990s, but the construction permit was only issued in 2002. A new, 23-meter-high metal observation tower was opened at the summit in September 2003, with construction costs exceeding 3.5 million crowns. A replica of the original wooden observation tower at Smrk stood in the area of the Prague Zoo from 2009 to 2018.
Velká Deštná (1115 meters), Orlické Mountains - In the past, a wooden triangulation tower stood at the summit of the highest mountain of the Orlické Mountains. In 1992, scouts built an eight-meter-high wooden observation tower in the shape of a pyramid, named Štefan's Viewpoint. In 2004, it was replaced by a new, similar structure, but that too could not withstand the harsh climatic conditions here and had to be demolished in 2010. On Saturday, October 26, a new, 18-meter-high steel-wooden observation tower will be opened at the summit for 4.7 million crowns including VAT.
Kamenec (1072 meters), Novohradské Mountains - The highest peak of the Novohradské Mountains lies near the Czech-Austrian border and is composed of a vast rock wall. Near the summit is the ruin of an inn.
Čerchov (1042 meters), Český les - At the highest peak of the Český les, a 19-meter-high lookout tower was opened in 1905, named after one of the founders of the Czech Tourist Club, Vilém Kurz. The lookout tower, along with the lodges that grew up around it, served tourists until 1938. After the ceding of the border regions and the start of World War II, it was seized by the German army and after a short period from 1945 to 1950, when it was repaired by the Czech Tourist Club, it was seized by the Czechoslovak army. In the inaccessible border zone, it served for electronic eavesdropping, and a second military tower was built nearby. The Czech Tourist Club regained the tower in 1999 and reopened it to the public.
Vysoká (1024 meters), Vsetínské vrchy - At the highest peak of the Vsetínské Mountains and the entire Hostýnsko-Vsetín mountain range, there is a tourist shelter, and one of the slopes of the mountain is the source of the Rožnovská Bečva River.
Malý Javorník (1019 meters), Javorníky - The highest mountain of the Czech part of the Javorníky, located on the border with Slovakia. At the summit, there is a tourist shelter.
Ještěd (1012 meters), Ještědsko-kozákovský ridge - At the summit of this dominant peak of northern Bohemia, there has been a 94-meter-high transmitter in the shape of a rotating hyperboloid with a hotel and restaurant since 1973. This replaced the original hotel with an observation tower that burned down in 1963. For its elegance and practical use of modern technologies, the building received the prestigious Auguste Perret Award in 1969. A two-cabin cable car, one of the oldest classic cable cars in the country, leads to the top, and has been in operation for over 85 years.
The English translation is powered by AI tool. Switch to Czech to view the original text source.