Did you know that in Czechia there are the most lookout towers per capita in the world?
Nowadays we have about 400 of them. They are made of stone, wood, steel or combined and their history began more than 200 years ago, when aristocrats built the first of them. The oldest lookout tower was built in 1802 and is 60 meters high (it is called the Minaret and since it is located in the flatlands of Southern Moravia, we do not lead our MTB trips here).
When the Club of Czech Tourists was founded in 1888, hostels, mountain huts, lookouts and a network of hiking trails began to be built. This was the first boom period when a large number of the lookout towers were built. This development stopped for several years with World War I. The construction of towers revived again after the war with the creation of the First Czechoslovak Republic. This positive trend was interrupted again with the Second World War, which was followed by a 42-year-long communist era, when only a few towers were built and on the contrary, many of them tended to decay. After the Velvet Revolution (1989), this phenomenon was renewed again and the largest number of lookouts were built to date.
There is always at least one chance to visit some lookout tower within every trip we organize, where you can admire a 360° view of a beautiful continental landscape full of forest, lush meadows and picturesque villages.
Within the BOHEMIAN TOUR: NORTH we usually visit the tower on the Smrk (the Spruce) mountain and also another one above the village of Markoušovice. On the MORAVIAN TOUR we usually climb up the Alexandrova tower not far away from the city of Brno and sometimes even Biskupská kupa above the town of Zlaté hory. While riding the BOHEMIAN TOUR: MID&EAST there are more options in the second part of the trip, where we choose from several options like the Silver Twiggy tower above the skiing area Kraličák or the lookout tower Suchý vrch, to name a few of them. Within the CZECHOSLOVAKIAN TOUR we love the stunning views from Stratenec on the Czech-Slovak borderline and Špičák right above the Strečno castle and on the EASTERN SLOVAKIA TOUR you'll sure to love the views from Smrekovica, even though there is only a small shelter and not a real tower here.
If riding prime trails and enjoying great views is your thing, then don't hesitate to SIGN IN and start looking forward to it!
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"Bikes, trails, food, accommodation, people, scenery, beer: all being great without exception."
"Highly recommended!"
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