Děčínský Sněžník

The Děčínský Sněžník (german: Hoher Schneeberg) is a mountain in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and, at above sea level, the highest peak in the

Elbe Sandstone Mountains The Elbe Sandstone Mountains, also called the Elbe Sandstone Highlands (german: Elbsandsteingebirge; cs, Děčinská vrchovina), are a mountain range straddling the border between the state of Saxony in southeastern Germany and the North Bohemia ...

. The Sněžník is located in the Jílové municipality, west of Děčín in the

Ústí nad Labem Region Ústí nad Labem Region or Ústecký Region ( cs, Ústecký kraj, , ), is an administrative unit ( cs, kraj) of the Czech Republic, located in the north-western part of the historical land of Bohemia, and named after the capital, Ústí nad La ...

, in the mountainous area of

Bohemian Switzerland Bohemian Switzerland ( cs, České Švýcarsko; german: Böhmische Schweiz), also known as Czech Switzerland, is a picturesque region in the north-western Czech Republic. It has been a protected area (as Elbe Sandstone Mountains Protected Landscap ...

, close to the border with Germany. One of the first historical figures to visit Děčínský Sněžník was Emperor Joseph II of Habsburg, who climbed the peak in September 1779. The Sněžník was considered an important

geodetic Geodesy ( ) is the Earth science of accurately measuring and understanding Earth's figure (geometric shape and size), orientation in space, and gravity. The field also incorporates studies of how these properties change over time and equivale ...

point for triangulation and cartographers asked the owner of the principality of Děčín, Prince Franz of Thun and Hohenstein, for permission to establish the peak as a triangulation point. Prince Franz contracted the

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

architect, Karl Moritz Haenel, to design a stone

observation tower An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, an ...

. The construction of the

Neo-gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

tower at the summit of the Sněžník began in 1863. A nearby fault line a source of building material, the tower was finished in autumn 1864. Originally used by geodesists, the view attracted many visitors and in 1865 the local forest administration decided to build a small hostelry for them. The observation tower at Děčínský Sněžník has remained a popular tourist attraction and lasted, with small modifications, for more than 80 years. After the Second World War the hostelry was abandoned as it had to be pulled down. Likewise the tower deteriorated and, by the 1980s, was in poor condition. Vandals contributed to the degradation of the tower, and its masonry started to collapse. The tower was assigned to the monument fund of the State Monument Preservation, but this formal step did not bring any improvement. In 1992 two million korunas were collected for the renovation of the tower, carried out by the Děčín Kamason company, and this was followed by the erection of a new inn. Since summer 1992 the tower at Děčínský Sněžník has again been open to the public and the peak is once again a popular tourist destination. It offers a panoramic view over

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

and

Saxon Switzerland Saxon Switzerland (german: Sächsische Schweiz) is a hilly climbing area and national park around the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany. Together with the Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic it forms the Elbe Sand ...

as far as Dresden to the north and the ridge of the

Giant Mountains The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše or Karkonosze (Czech: , Polish: , german: Riesengebirge) are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massi ...

to the east. The summit is a stop on the

E3 European long distance path The E3 European long distance path, or just E3 path, is a long-distance footpath that is planned to run from the Portuguese coast to the Black Sea in Bulgaria. It is one of the network of European long-distance paths. Route The completed sectio ...

. Ascents may be made from the little village of Jílové or from the Saxon municipality of

Rosenthal-Bielatal Rosenthal-Bielatal is a municipality in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in Saxony, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country ...

to the north. {{DEFAULTSORT:Decinsky Sneznik Mountains and hills of the Czech Republic Elbe Sandstone Mountains Rock formations of the Czech Republic Mountains and hills of Bohemian Switzerland Děčín District