On Křížová Hill, there is a new observation tower, which will also serve culture

Červená Voda (Orlickoústecko) - Tourists visiting Červená Voda in the Orlickoústecko region can today take advantage of a new observation tower. It rises to a height of 25 meters above the terrain on the nearby Křížová hora. The lookout tower will serve not only hikers but also the church and cultural events, said the mayor of Červená Voda, Miroslav Švestka, to ČTK.
    "We wanted to revive the tradition of paths to Křížová hora, therefore the architect designed a multi-purpose building where services and cultural events can be held. The observation tower is part of it," said Švestka.
    Křížová hora is one of the peaks of the Jeřábská Highlands, rising to a height of 735 meters above sea level to the east of Červená Voda. It was formerly a popular excursion and pilgrimage site for the residents of Červená Voda, with a Stations of the Cross leading to the summit, and a wooden church from 1833 and a restaurant on the plateau. However, since the war and the expulsion of the German population, the place gradually became deserted, the area behind Křížová hora was designated as a training ground for the Czech army and from 1969 also for the Soviet army. Soldiers devastated the pilgrimage site, the Stations of the Cross were uprooted, sandstone crosses were broken and thrown into the forest, and the church and cabin were demolished. The original character of the site is only remembered by the historical trace of the original church laid in the stone pavement bordered by grass.
    The new landmark of the wide surroundings consists of a ground-level open gallery topped with an arch-shaped roof and a tower with an observation gallery at a height of 25 meters above the terrain. The construction will make maximum use of natural materials, mainly wood.
    Visitors to the observation tower will need to prepare a ten-crown coin. "It is only a symbolic amount; the construction costs will not be covered by it in any way," said the mayor.
    The observation tower was built by Červená Voda, with costs reaching 7.2 million crowns. Most of the funds, 5.33 million crowns, were provided by the European Union, the Pardubice Region contributed three-quarters of a million crowns, and the rest was covered by the municipality. Originally, the lookout tower was to open last year, but weather and other complications extended the construction.
    In the Pardubice Region, about ten observation towers have been erected in recent years, with more in preparation, some of which serve as observation towers for telecommunications operators, such as those in Trhová Kamenice in the Chrudim region. The most towers have been created in recent years around Proseč in the Chrudim region - the Toulovec lookout tower revitalized the landscape five years ago, Terezka was added in 2004, and later Borůvka completed the pair. Last year, the construction of the Boika lookout tower in Česká Lhota near Nasavrky in the Chrudim region was also completed. In September, a lookout tower is set to begin construction in the recreational forests between Chrudim and Slatiňany. The wooden structure is expected to be about 18 meters tall. It should cost between 750,000 and 950,000 crowns. Even earlier, tourists will be able to climb the observation tower in Rudoltice in the Orlickoústecko region. After decades of repairs of the unused building, the owner of the building, the architect of the town of Lanškroun, Přemysl Kokeš, plans to open it to the public in the last week of June. An observation tower is also expected to be built near the Mladějov industrial railway in the Orlickoústecko region, and there has long been talk of restoring the observation tower on Kralický Sněžník, which stood on the Polish part of Sněžník and was demolished in 1973.