K. Vary completed the repair of Goethe's viewpoint

Karlovy Vary - Karlovy Vary has completed the reconstruction of the Goethe Viewpoint. This cultural monument, built in the 1880s, has been neglected for the past 15 years. It has now regained its dignified appearance, which is meant to attract visitors once again. The lookout tower will open to the public only in the spring, said Pavel Reiser, the deputy director of the Karlovy Vary Spa Forests, to reporters today.

According to him, although the construction has been handed over by the contractor, there are still unfinished works that need to be addressed, as well as additional furnishing of the interiors. "Since these spaces are already here, there has been consideration on how to make the lookout more interesting for the public. There will therefore be exhibition spaces and a café on the ground floor, as soon as it is possible," Reiser stated.

The options for use are currently limited by the fact that the city utilized a European grant for the renovation costing 33.5 million without VAT. Therefore, it will not be possible for the operation to generate profit for five years.

According to the mayor of Karlovy Vary, Petr Kulhánek (KOA), the lookout tower was in a deplorable state even when the current administration took office at the town hall. The city then attempted to rent out the building with the idea that the tenant would carry out the renovations, but this proved unsuccessful. Only when the opportunity arose to use a grant for the repairs could the city begin the reconstruction.

The city entrusted the lookout tower to the care of the Spa Forests, similarly to how several years ago the area of St. Linhart was managed. There, it was also possible to transform a neglected location into a place that attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year. Additional attractions, such as a toboggan run, could be developed around the lookout tower.

The mayor's deputy and historian Jiří Klsák (KOA) stated that the Goethe Viewpoint was established at a time when the construction of lookout towers was popular. It was built in just one year. Originally, it bore the name of Princess Stephanie, the wife of the Austrian crown prince Rudolf of Habsburg, who greatly admired the view of the center of the spa town. The lookout tower then changed names and has carried the name of the German poet, who frequently stayed in the town, only since 1957.