Ještěd Tower (Hotel a televizní vysílač na Ještědu)
Liberecký kraj
Ještěd Tower is a television transmitter and mountaintop hotel complex crowning Mount Ještěd near Liberec in the Czech Republic. Rising 94 m, its reinforced-concrete body is shaped as a hyperboloid, a form chosen to extend the mountain’s silhouette while withstanding the summit’s harsh weather. The building uniquely merges two functions-broadcasting technology above and hospitality below-with the hotel and restaurant located in the tower’s lowest sections. Architect Karel Hubáček led the design, assisted by Zdeněk Patrman on structural statics and Otakar Binar on interior furnishings. From the public areas, including a ground-floor gallery and a first-floor restaurant, visitors can enjoy panoramic vistas that can reach into Poland and Germany. The tower has become one of the defining landmarks of the North Bohemian landscape. It has been protected as a Czech cultural monument since 1998 and was elevated to national cultural monument status in 2006. In 2007 it was added to the Czech Republic’s Tentative List for UNESCO World Heritage. Hubáček’s achievement was internationally recognized when he received the Perret Prize from the International Union of Architects (UIA) in 1969.
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Tip: For the broadest views, aim for clear-weather days when visibility is best toward Poland and Germany. If you plan to dine in the restaurant, consider timing your visit outside peak hours to enjoy the panorama more comfortably. Access is possible by road; the Ještěd cable car has been closed indefinitely since a 2021 crash, so check current transport options before you go.
Interesting facts
- •The tower is 94 m tall and built from reinforced concrete in a hyperboloid form.
- •It combines a television transmitter with a mountaintop hotel and restaurant in one structure.
- •Architect Karel Hubáček was assisted by Zdeněk Patrman (structural statics) and Otakar Binar (interior furnishings).
- •Hubáček received the Perret Prize of the International Union of Architects (UIA) in 1969 for the project.
- •Ještěd Tower has been listed as a Czech cultural monument since 1998 and has been a national cultural monument since 2006.
- •In 2007, the site was entered on the Czech Republic’s Tentative List of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
- •The summit previously had two wooden huts (mid-19th century and early 20th century), both of which burned down in the 1960s.
- •The Ještěd cable car has been closed indefinitely since a crash in 2021.
History
After an earlier Ještěd lodge burned down in January 1963, local stakeholders and the Prague Radio Communications Administration decided to build a new summit complex that would serve both as a mountain hotel with a restaurant and as a TV transmitter.
An architectural competition was held in February 1963, and on 22 April 1963 the jury selected Karel Hubáček’s proposal as the only design meeting all requirements.
Design work took place from 1963 to 1966, followed by construction from 1966 to 1973; the foundation stone was laid on 30 July 1966.
The transmitter began operating on 1 May 1971, while the interiors were completed later, and the grand opening took place on 9 July 1973.
The tower’s heritage status grew over time, becoming a national cultural monument in 2006 and joining the UNESCO Tentative List in 2007.
Place Guide
Ground-floor gallery
Start in the ground-floor gallery area, which is noted for its viewing opportunities and serves as an introduction to the tower’s dual-purpose design as both landmark and working transmitter.
First-floor restaurant (viewpoint)
Continue up to the restaurant on the first floor, one of the signature visitor experiences thanks to its elevated panorama over the North Bohemian landscape.
Hyperboloid exterior form1963–1973
Take time to appreciate the tower’s hyperboloid silhouette from outside: it was deliberately chosen to visually extend Mount Ještěd while also coping with extreme summit climate conditions.
Contact
Phone: 485 104 291
