Vyhledávání

Five Lookout Towers Journey

A slightly longer walk through the Jizera Mountains with visits to five of the local lookout towers, topped off with a swim in the Jablonec reservoir and a tram ride back to Liberec.
Location
Address:LiberecGPS:50°46'38.4''N; 15°04'52.0''E[Map]

Length of walk:

20 km, https://mapy.cz/s/feborosebu


Which way to go:

Liberec, Lidové sady  – Liberecká výšina – Bedřichov – Královka – Slovanka – Bramberk – Jablonec n. Nisou, dam Mšeno – Jablonec n. Nisou, Tyršovy sady (tram no. 11 direction Liberec).

What to see:

Our expedition to the “Queens of the Mountains”, as these lookout towers are poetically called, starts at the tram terminal in the Liberec suburb of Lidové sady. This is where your first catch of the day is – the Lidové sady Lookout Tower. It forms a part of the cultural house of the same name, which was built at the beginning of the 20th century. The walking trails to the Jizera Mountains start opposite the lookout tower. If you pick the yellow path, after a short walk you will get to another lookout tower – the Liberecká Výšina Restaurant. Výšina is also only 120 years old but thanks to the masonry, which came from ancient Nuremberg houses, it looks more like a medieval castle.

You’ve already got two trophies right at the beginning of your trip but from now on, it won´t be this easy any more. Before you get to the next lookout, you will have to cover 6 kilometres. From Výšina, you follow the yellow path, to which the red path also joins after a while and takes over the lead to Bedřichov. This is where you swap red back for yellow again and follow the Ants Nature Trail to the Královka Lookout Tower. Naturally, there is an ant greeting you at the beginning of the trail; however, you will also encounter several other wooden animals along the way, which makes the climb fun. It won´t take long, the woods in front of you will open up and there you will see it. Královka. An excellent restaurant with a large playground for kids and awesome views of the surroundings.

Just past Královka, the colour of the walking path will change from yellow to green, and with this green mark constantly ahead, you will continue along the Hrabětické Louky Nature Trail. The path takes you through the village of Hrabětice, past the Severák Ski Resort, all the way to the Slovanka Lookout Tower, which is the oldest iron lookout tower in the Czech Republic.

From Slovanka, you descend along the Way of the Cross Nature Trail to the houses of Horní Maxov, where you turn right, and after a few steps, swap the green path for red, which will take you past the village and woods to Bramberk. Its stone tower is the last lookout on your way, and now comes the time for a small reward, pleasant refreshments at the Mšeno Reservoir in Jablonec. You can get there from Bramberk by the green path across the Zvonkové Valley, or straighten your way a little bit by leaving the marked trail and taking an unmarked forest path (preferably with the help of navigation), then following the yellow path for a while and continuing through the Břízky resort to Jablonec.

After cooling down in the dam, you can return to Liberec by public transport, as there are several bus stops along the dam and a railway station nearby at Jablonecké Paseky. We would, however, recommend you take a stroll through Jablonec and catching tram no. 11 from the Tyršovy Sady terminal. Currently, there are only four intercity tram lines in operation in the Czech Republic, so this connection is really unique.
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