Autumn? At its most beautiful from lookout towers!

This is to be found in the town park. It was established in 1935 and is dedicated to the memory of Václav Kratochvíl. By the way, this organiser of public life had great merit in the development of the region here.

The local lookout tower stands at a height of 208 metres above sea level. There is even a leisurely path leading to it right from the centre of the town. You can see part of the town of Roudnice and the Bohemian Middle Mountains from the tower. And if the visibility is good, you can see as far as the Ore Mountains.

Open all year round, entrance free of charge.

 

The local Mountain Society for Northernmost Bohemia had a lookout restaurant and lookout tower built in 1904. However, after the war people started to forget about the place and the building fell into disrepair. It was set into operation again in 1967 to 1989. However, subsequent privatisation condemned the building to certain demise. Thankfully for this region, the lookout tower started to operate again in 2003 thanks to various endowment funds.

Hrádek stands at a height of 427 metres above sea level on the very border with Germany. You can also get here by car. You can see the towns of Varnsdorf and Seifhennersdorf from the lookout tower as well as the peaks of the surrounding Lusatian Mountains. If the visibility is good, you can also see the Jizera Mountains and the Giant Mountains.

Open all year round, entrance subject to a fee.

 

The first wooden lookout tower was built on Brand Hill above the city of Ústí nad Labem as far back as 1889. This was destroyed twice in storms and even stuck by lightening in 1911. It was not until 1933 that hikers from Ústí nad Labem committed themselves to reconstruction of the lookout tower. It was named after Alexander Erben – a former chairman of the Ústí nad Labem Hikers Association. The lookout tower last underwent fundamental reconstruction five years ago (2006), including an increase in height by seven metres.

The path to the lookout tower is about 3.5 km long and leads through slightly demanding terrain for walkers. If however a hiker manages to overcome this difficulty, they will be rewarded with a view as far as Ústí nad Labem, Střekov Castle and part of the Bohemian Middle Mountains and the Ore Mountains.

Open without restriction, entrance free of charge

 

The present-day lookout tower in the shape of a Hussite look-out post is built on the site of the original wooden construction dating back to the end of the 19^th century. It can be found at the summit of Velký Blaník itself at a height of 638 m above sea level, 7 km from the town of Vlašim. The path to it leads from the nearby car park.

From the viewing platform, you can see not only the whole town of Vlašim, but also the Votice region and the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands. When the visibility is good, you can also see the tower of St. Vitus’ Cathedral in Prague. And if after this experience, you have a little time to spare, you can take a walk to the rocks where the mythical Blaník Army sleeps, which according to legend is supposed to come to the aid of the Czechs in their darkest hour. The location is well marked so you cannot miss it.

Open all year round, entrance CZK 20.

 

The Celts lived on this hill two and a half thousand years ago and the remains of their hill forts are still evident today. An old military lookout tower stood here until the 1960s. A local society managed to gain a grant from the Ministry for Local Development at the start of the millennium and in December 2009 an opening ceremony was held for the tower which stands 27.75 m in height.

The nearest path to the lookout tower leads from the nearby Albrechtice – 1.5 km following the red markings. There is a view from here over the peaks of the Šumava Forests, Bohemian Forest with its highest point, Čechov Hill and Kašperk and Rábí castles. You can also feast your eyes on a view over the south of the Plzeň Region, Prácheň and Strakonice regions.

Open without restriction, entrance free of charge.

 

This high concrete tower with non-traditional laminate cladding (joins from plastic screws) was built in the 70s as an air defence radar station. It served these purposes until 1989. The building was opened to the public as a lookout tower after nine years.

The slightly breakneck ascent to the viewing platform is only a small hardship to endure in return for what awaits you at the top of the tower. Not only will you be able to feast your eyes over the peaks of Šumava and when the visibility is good, even the Alps, but you can also learn something in the exhibition of historical radar technology. An exhibition about the countryside in Šumava also awaits you here. The tower stands at a height of 1,315 m above sea level and is 5 km from the village of Prášily – almost on the border with Germany. You can only get here on foot or by bike along the well-marked hiking trails.

The lookout tower is open from January to October and subject to telephone arrangement the rest of the year. Entrance subject to a fee.

 

This square building which is 34 metres high and offers several viewing platforms was built in 1904 in honour of the Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. The lookout tower bore his name until 1918. An embossed plaque of the chancellor was also removed in 1946. The building and its surrounding areas have been continuously maintained since the 1980s.

The lookout tower stands just under two kilometres from the centre of the town of Aš at a height of 758 metres above sea level on the highest peak Smrčina. From here, you can see the Ore Mountains and the Doupov Mountains, the Bohemian Forest and there is also a good view of the Bavarian part of Smrčina in the neighbouring Germany.

Open daily, entrance fee voluntary.

 

This lookout tower is the youngest of the four lookout towers in Karlovy Vary. A restaurant with a lookout tower was opened in 1914 on Výšina přátelství. A cable car takes you there up to a height of 556 metres above sea level. From the 35-metre tower, you can see the whole of the spa town, as well as the peaks of the Ore Mountains and Doupov Mountains. When the visibility is good, you can even see the Smrčina mountain range.

Open all year round, entrance CZK 10.

 

This lookout tower standing 27 metres high was built over the course of two years on the initiative of the Šumava Hikers Club in Prachatice and the opening ceremony was held on 16 September 1883. The club named it after the Crown Prince Rudolf – the Rudolf Tower. The lookout tower gained a new white coat a few years ago, and for this reason, it all of a sudden becomes an unmistakable dominant feature when the sun hits it.

The tower stands on Libín Mountain at a height of 1,096 metres above sea level, about 4 kilometres from the town of Prachatice. You can only get to it on foot from the centre of the town. There is a view over a large part of Šumava, Nové Hrady Mountains and the České Budějovice Basin. When the visibility is good, you can even see the peaks of the Alps to the south.

Open daily, entrance CZK 10.

 

This building at a height of 664 metres above sea level is a typical steel structure serving as a mobile telephone operator’s transmitter. The tower was opened to the public in 2008. The lookout tower is located near the village of Libětice, 6 km as the crow flies from Strakonice.

You can see the city of Strakonice and its surrounding areas from the lookout platform. Part of Šumava is visible from the opposite side. There is a group of three stones, the “Kbíl Dolmen“” just below the summit. A stone slab is positioned on two of them. There is some dispute as to the origin of this phenomenon. If it is artificial, it could even date back to prehistoric times.

Open without restriction, entrance free of charge.