We have selected for you the most beautiful lookout towers in Prague: Towers above the lookout towers!
There are actually very few classic lookout towers in Prague, despite the legendary “Petřín”. But no worries, the hundred-towered Prague has a replacement. You can look from many towers around the city, exceptionally even in the distance.
they are not famous for the Petřín lookout tower, they are also the oldest in our country. Mistake, many mountain stone lookout towers are older, but none of Petrin’s fame has reached its fame. Maybe also for its free form with the Eiffel Tower, even though the altitude ratio is 1: 5 (60-300 m). Of course, its luxurious position opposite Prague Castle also helps its popularity.
However, the Petrin ancestors of many lookout towers – inspired by many builders in the first decades of the 20th century – go with the times. She had an elevator from the beginning, but at the time the television transmitter was operating here, its tube took over the cables. It became functional again from the reconstruction of the lookout tower in the years 1999-2001, when the first gallery became accessible to wheelchair users. But this year it is under repair by the end of August. In the basement of the lookout tower there is a permanent exhibition Petřín – a place for walks, views and mining. Nearby you will find a popular mirror maze and you can visit one of the many galleries that remained after the mining of coal, iron ore and ceramic raw materials. An exhibition of photographs from the underground of Prague can be seen in gallery XXII in the Lobkovická Garden. A visit and an ascent to the Petřín lookout tower are not just about that lookout tower.
The same is true of the Žižkov Television Tower (Tower park), whose viewing platforms are almost a hundred meters above the ground, and where you will find not only a restaurant but also a luxury mini hotel. The Žižkov transmitter has one priority among Prague’s viewpoints, lookout towers and towers, terraces and churches. From another place in Prague you will not be able to see beyond its borders, with good visibility you will also see the Ore Mountains, Ještěd, Krkonoše and Šumava. Of course also Prague and the Czech Central Highlands.
Prague is so deprived of typical lookout towers that in the encyclopedic book Lookout Towers of the Czech Republic, it also includes non-traditional lookout towers on the Lahovice Road Bridge. They are also original in that, due to car traffic, they constantly behave slightly.
But Prague has lost some of its prospects, perhaps temporarily. The views were provided by the dominant building of the Barrandov Terraces, the forthcoming reconstruction is nearing completion, and the observation tower should be accessible again. The Obora lookout tower at the highest point of the Prague Zoo is also a thing of the past. It lasted only nine years. It was attacked by a fungus, was dismantled in 2018, and a new building is planned.
The capital can therefore be grateful that on the Horka hill in the Čihadla forest park near Kyjský rybník the original aerial construction of the architect Ing. Martin Rajmiše. But Doubravka will not be here forever, the larch wood building (7 km of trunks) is to last 15 years.
You can now visit the Petrin Tower and a number of other Prague towers, as well as many other interesting attractions of the capital more conveniently if you want current, “covid” events (more on www.vprazejakodoma.cz). For every night accommodation in more than 400 accommodation facilities (hotels, but also guesthouses and camps) you will get a body that will reduce the price of a hundred attractions, including towers, but also a zoo or botanical garden in Troy, where many will be surprised by one of the few typical lookout towers in Prague, but with an unconventional fate. The iron lookout tower – do not enter during storms – in a way represented the now non-existent lookout tower in the zoo, as it provides a great view of the Prague skyline.
Top tip: Vítkov or Žižkov
National Monument in Vítkov few people connect to the lookout tower, but from the flat roof, which you can get to by elevator and up a few stairs, the best view of Prague is said to be the best. The National Monument also offers permanent exhibitions and current exhibitions. Tickets for exhibitions and sightseeing can be purchased separately.
Towers of churches, town halls, castles and chateaux
From the Prague towers – with the exception of St. Welcome – you will usually not see beyond the borders of Greater Prague, but each will allow special views of the mosaic of roofs, historic buildings and squares, many of the Vltava and its bridges. In addition, they represent an interesting destination and in some you will find interesting exhibitions. The number one in this direction is the Old Town Bridge Tower (Malostranská is also accessible), where the underground and individual floors are dedicated to the history and construction of Charles Bridge. Part of the Prague Towers has been managed by Prague City Tourism since January 2021, and it can be assumed that it will sometimes again offer discounted tickets to the Prague Towers collection. This group includes the St. Nicholas town bell tower in the vicinity of the church of the same name (on the way to the gallery you can see the kitchen of the tower and the unique black) and the Novomlýnská water tower provides an exceptional view of the Petrská quarter. And if you want to see the Municipal House from above, you can see from the Powder Gate.
But there are also other towers, especially the town hall on the Old Town Square and the main tower of St. Welcome. However, the treasury advice from the time when queues of tourists stood here is still valid. Better go when the days are shorter before sunset, it is usually free and a great view of the departing sun. Other tips: astronomical tower Klementina, Jindřišská tower, observation deck of Podolská waterworks.
Parking up to 150 m: Tower Park (Žižkov Transmitter), Lahovické vyhlídky, Cibulka (Prague-Košíře)
Lift: Tower Park, Petrin Lookout Tower, National Monument in Vítkov, Old Town Hall Tower
Hidden gems
“Hidden” gems are hard to find in the most visited place in the Czech Republic. But one topic is a bit out of the question here, but it’s unique. Some of the more well-known (Müller’s), others are still out of attention, some are being prepared (the Čapek brothers’ semi-detached house in Vinohrady).
Trojan Castle: At the end of the 17th century, the builder Václav Vojtěch, Count of Šternberk, was inspired by Roman suburban villas, which Otto’s vocabulary described as “summer houses in the countryside”. The local large hall, which now also serves concerts, will impress you, and the sculptural and painting decoration is also remarkable. The Gallery of the City of Prague here has a permanent exhibition of the capital Architecture and decoration of Troja Castle. You can use the Troja Card for your visit, which is also valid for visiting the zoo and botanical garden, and the Fata Morgana greenhouse.
Müller’s Villa: The prominent construction entrepreneur František Müller chose the architect Adolf Loose for the family villa, who created his masterpiece here. Müller’s villa in Střešovice. Thanks to the care of the Museum of the Capital City of Prague and the sensitive reconstruction, the first-republican style of a wealthy family also presents luxury housing. Combining luxury with simplicity and functionality still fascinates and amazes to this day.
Winternitz Villa: Guided tours take place on weekends. This is the last realized work of Adolf Loose, but the interior, unlike Müller’s villa, was designed by Karel Lhota. After a three-year reconstruction (1999-2002), the three-storey house in Smíchov received its original appearance, which is due to the 1930s.
Bílek’s villa: The two-storey villa of the sculptor, graphic artist and architect František Bílek is one of the most famous villa buildings in Prague, both due to its location at the beginning of the descending Chotkova Street, but also to its current use as the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague. After her husband’s death, she donated the villa with a set of statues of the city of Prague to his wife Berta. The sculptor’s studio is part of a new permanent exhibition, during the visit, in addition to Bílek’s works from the peak period, you will also see the original interior equipment.
author: Tomas Pudil