Hýlačka Lookout Tower near Tábor: 136 Steps and an Interesting Story

After visiting the historic town of Tábor, my friends and I continued to the nearby Hýlačka lookout tower. Since we were already in the area, it would have been a shame not to look around a little more. And this tower became our next stop.

It stands in the Větrovy district of Tábor, about four kilometres southwest of the town centre.

Hýlačka Lookout Tower – a Slightly Different Kind of Tower

At first glance I was struck by its unusual construction. Not a classic stone or wooden tower, but a tall metal structure with an open staircase, several resting platforms and steel cables that hold the whole thing together.

The tower stands among the trees and looks really interesting from below. Its staircase winds gradually upwards to the viewing platform. The tower is 35.6 metres tall in total, and the viewing platform itself is 25 metres above the ground. If you want to reach the very top, exactly 136 steps await you.

The staircase is made of metal, with see-through steps and protective netting on the sides. As you climb, you can see not only the structure of the tower but also the space beneath you. For some people that may be a pleasant bit of variety on the way up, while for visitors who are afraid of heights it may be a bit more of a challenge.

The steel structure, open staircase and wooden platform at the top

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The Original Hýlačka Tower Looked Completely Different

When I started to look into the history of this place, I found out that today’s tower is not the original one. The first lookout tower here was officially opened as early as 4 July 1920. It was built by the Club of Czechoslovak Tourists to a design by the architect Theodor Petřík. The tower of that time was 18 metres tall and built of wood on a stone base. In appearance it resembled an old watchtower from the Hussite era. Its look was no coincidence, because Hussite history is closely tied to nearby Tábor.

Its original name was interesting too – the Lookout of Freedom. It was built shortly after the founding of independent Czechoslovakia and was meant to commemorate this important event.

During its existence it went through a great deal. In the Second World War it served as a military observation post and later it was also used for radio communication. In 1995 it was even declared a cultural monument. Unfortunately, a very sad fate awaited it. On New Year’s Day, 1 January 2012, a fire swept through the original wooden Hýlačka.

The fire destroyed the tower completely and only its stone base remained. The exact cause of the fire was never established. For locals and tourists alike it was a great loss. The tower was one of the favourite excursion spots of the Tábor region and had more than ninety years of history behind it. After it was destroyed by the fire, its heritage protection was cancelled in 2012.

Fortunately, its rebuilding was pushed through. The Club of Czech Tourists of Tábor prepared the construction of a new tower, and a public fundraiser helped finance it as well. The new Hýlačka was officially opened on 1 August 2015.

This time, though, it got a modern steel form. When designing it, the architects did not forget the original tower and tried to keep some of its characteristic shapes.

Something I Didn’t Know About the Tower

There was one more thing about the new Hýlačka that caught my attention. The individual steps have their donors. During the public fundraiser, people could contribute to the construction of a specific step. In return for their gift, they could have a small metal plate with their name placed on it.

And so today the steps remind us not only of the way up to the viewpoint, but also of the people who helped to build the tower again. I think that is a really nice idea.

Another interesting fact is that about 33 tonnes of steel were used to build the new Hýlačka. Even so, thanks to the open staircase and protective nets, the whole structure feels fairly airy. And in 2016 its modern architecture even won the Grand Prix of Architects award in the Design category.

What Can You See from the Hýlačka Lookout Tower?

From the viewing platform you get a panoramic view of the surrounding Tábor region. You can see historic Tábor, Sezimovo Ústí, Planá nad Lužnicí and the surrounding villages, forests and hills.

In really good visibility you can also spot more distant peaks of the Šumava, Kleť or the Novohradské Mountains. The chance to look at Tábor and its surroundings from a completely different perspective is one of the reasons why it is worth coming here.

Views from Hýlačka over the Tábor region

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Entry Fee and Practical Information

Entry to the tower is handled by a turnstile with a payment machine. I was pleasantly surprised by the price of admission, which is only 20 CZK per person. It is good to know, though, that you pay in cash. The machine accepts coins and also 100 and 200 CZK banknotes. You cannot use a payment card here.

The tower is usually accessible all year round, but the opening hours change with the season. In bad weather, for example strong wind, a thunderstorm, rime ice or snow on the staircase, entry is prohibited. That is why I recommend checking the current information on the website of the Club of Czech Tourists of Tábor before you set off.

The turnstile with the machine and the binoculars on the platform

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If you are planning a trip to Tábor, I think it is worth setting aside a little time for a visit to Hýlačka as well. It is not far from the town, you can comfortably get there by car, and besides the views it also has an interesting history.

What I like most about it is that on the site of the original wooden tower there now stands a completely different, modern structure that still recalls its predecessor. And when you realise that after the fire there might not have been anything here at all, it is lovely to see that such an excursion spot was successfully restored.

For us, Hýlačka was another stop on our trip to the Tábor region. And if you ever head here too, you can combine a visit to the historic town with a view of the countryside that surrounds it.

Do you know this lookout tower, or are you only planning to visit it? 🙂