Hradišťský vrch Lookout Tower
The lookout tower, with a total height of 28 meters, was opened to the public in 2019.
From the tower, you can see Kleť, the Slabošovka lookout tower, Viehberg, the Bohemian Forest, Knížecí Stolec, Smrčina, Temelín, České Budějovice, Hluboká, and on clear days, even the Alps.
The tower stands on the site of an ancient Celtic fortification, where the remains of a prehistoric elliptical fortress, approximately 200 x 100 meters in size, can be found, dating back to the Neolithic period. Later, in the 9th to 10th centuries, it may have served as an outpost of the Doudlebů tribe.
Architect Pavel Jura drew inspiration not only from the region's landscape but also from Celtic symbolism (many Celtic symbols are created by rotation) and local history. Its layout is loosely inspired by the time of the Rosenbergs, whose coat of arms featured a five-petaled rose, geometrically representing a pentagram, which became the foundation for the tower.
The wooden structure is complemented by steel trusses, and the cladding is made of larch wood. The wooden staircase and steel walkway virtually hang in the air, suspended by steel cables.
From Kaplice via Blansko and the Hradiště settlement, it is about 4 kilometers to Hradišťský vrch.
Accessibility
Year-round
Entrance fee
Free
How to get there
You can set out, for example, from the village of Hradiště, where you turn left by the pond in the village center and follow the blue trail that leads directly to the lookout tower.
Is there a commemorative stamp available?
No
Additional information
The youngest of the three lookout towers in the Novohradsko-Doudlebsko tourist area was built on Hradišťský vrch (774 m.a.s.l.) in 2018. It was officially opened in March 2019, when the wooden spiral stairs leading to nearly 30 meters welcomed their first visitors. The tower is interesting not only for its views (Bohemian Forest, Alps) but also for its architecture, which easily surpasses the austere style of telecommunication towers on Kraví Hora and Slabošovka.
Do you know that...
...the lookout tower stands on the site of a former Celtic fortification?
