History
The stone tower dating from 1864 is one of the oldest of its kind in Bohemia. The tower was originally built for precise geographical measurements as one of the basic triangulation points at the request of Austria, Saxony and Prussia. These states asked the owner of the estate to either have the forest on the top of the mountain cleared or to build a wooden structure overhanging the trees on Děčínský Sněžník. However, the Count of the Děčín estate, František Thun, decided otherwise and asked the Dresden architect Hänel to design a stone tower. He designed a 33 m high stone tower, which he conceived as both a purposeful building and a tasteful work influenced by the Elizabethan style. In 1863, construction began and by the autumn of 1864 it was completed at a considerable cost of 20,000 gold pieces.
The first users were indeed Austrian, Saxon and Prussian surveyors, whose good cooperation was soon disrupted by the Prussian-Austrian war. The picturesque tower began to attract many tourists who, for a modest fee, could climb up to the gallery and look out over the countryside. In 1865, a small inn was established near the tower. Groups of tourists, school trips, cyclists and members of the Saxon royal family came here.
In 1936, Professor Fäber was able to pick up a television signal from Berlin for the first time on Sněžník at the time when the Berlin transmitter was broadcasting the Olympic Games. Even long after 1945 Sněžník was visited as one of the most beautiful places in Bohemian Switzerland. Filmmakers also climbed the hill several times, for example the memorable film “Windy Mountain” was filmed there.
Restaurant
The restaurant was newly built in 1999 as a faithful imitation of the original inn that stood on this site since 1865, one year after the completion of the 33m high stone lookout tower, from where there is a beautiful view of the city of Decin, the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, Czechoslovak Switzerland, the Bohemian Central Highlands, Milešovka, the Lusatian Mountains, the ridges of the Ore Mountains and parts of Germany.
After the reconstruction of the tower and the construction of the current restaurant, this area has again become a popular tourist destination for hiking, cycling and climbing.
How can you reach us?
The best way to reach Děčín Sněžník is from Děčín via Jalůvčí and Maxičky, from Ústí nad Labem and Teplice via Jílové u Děčína and from Germany via Petrovice and Tisa. You can park your car in the village of Sněžník in the parking lot next to the Hřebenová Bouda and walk along the hiking trail to the lookout tower and the Pod rozhlednou guesthouse and restaurant.
Come and enjoy peace, nature and clean air in summer and winter in Děčínský Sněžník.
