In Benešov, a new lookout tower named Špulka will open at the end of the month

Lookout Tower Špulka, architectural solution - Iveta Torkoniaková (source: middleczech.kr-stredocesky.cz)

Lbosín (Benešovsko) - On the hill Březák near Lbosín in the Benešov region, builders have completed the lookout tower Špulka and it is expected to be ceremonially opened at the end of April. Everything went as planned by the project authors, only the final adjustments around the building were disrupted at the last minute by an unknown vandal who drove a terrain vehicle over the stone map under the lookout tower. The case is being investigated by the police. Everything has been repaired and is ready for inspection, said construction coordinator Martin Kratochvíl today.
    "Someone drove a terrain vehicle over the stone map. We had it quite secured; a regular vehicle should not have been able to pass there,” Kratochvíl stated. According to him, the incident occurred after the building was handed over when it was raining and the stone mosaic was saturated. "And he drove over it and made grooves,” Kratochvíl said. Volunteers have already removed the damages and additionally placed large stones around the area to prevent the incident from recurring.
    The project is the work of the CHOPOS association of municipalities, which unites 21 municipalities from the region. The total costs reached seven million crowns, of which the construction of the lookout tower itself amounted to 5.4 million CZK. The European Union contributed 1.8 million crowns to the project, and according to Kratochvíl, private donors have already raised over 1.3 million CZK. The lookout tower stands at an altitude of 532 meters above sea level and the entire structure, including the antenna, measures 45.6 meters. The observation platform is located 30 meters up.
    The inspection is planned for next Thursday, and the ceremonial opening is on April 26. "We are just installing panels around the lookout tower and completing the landscaping," said Kratochvíl. In recent months, work has also been done on the educational trail leading to the lookout tower, mainly with the help of volunteers who modified the path from Lbosín. Wooden information panels were placed along it. In the upper part of the Lbosín village square, a wooden signpost was integrated, and a pond and its surrounding area were modified in the middle part of the trail.
    In Central Bohemia, for example, a more than 50-meter-high lookout tower Bohdanka was built in Bohdaneč in the Kutná Hora region, which was also funded by the EU. Another similar structure was opened on Mount Kaňk near Kutná Hora. At the top of the 30-meter-high structure, there is a café for visitors during the day, which transforms into a romantic restaurant with a view of the night Kutná Hora after dark.