The Děčínský Sněžník () is a mountain in the

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

. At above sea level, it is the highest peak of the

Elbe Sandstone Mountains The Elbe Sandstone Mountains, also called the Elbe Sandstone Highlands (, ; , ), are a mountain range straddling the border between the state of Saxony in southeastern Germany and the North Bohemian region of the Czech Republic, with about three-q ...

Geography

Děčínský Sněžník is located in the

in the

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

. It is located mostly in the

Jílové Jílové (until 1945 Jílové u Podmokel; ) is a town in Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 4,900 inhabitants. Administrative division Jílové consists of six municipal parts (in brackets populat ...

municipality, only the eastern slopes are located in the territory of

Děčín Děčín (; ) is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 46,000 inhabitants. It is the seventth largest municipality in the country by area. Děčín is an important traffic junction. Administrative division Děč ...

. The mountain is the highest

mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge, or hill, bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and standing distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks, such as shales, capped by a ...

in the Czech Republic.

Tourism

History

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 or geodetics is the science of measuring and representing the geometry, gravity, and spatial orientation of the Earth in temporally varying 3D. It is called planetary geodesy when studying other astronomical bodies, such as planets ...

point for

triangulation In trigonometry and geometry, triangulation is the process of determining the location of a point by forming triangles to the point from known points. Applications In surveying Specifically in surveying, triangulation involves only angle m ...

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 German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

architect, Karl Moritz Haenel, to design a stone

observation tower An observation tower is a tower 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, and woo ...

. The construction of the

Neo-gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

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

CZK The koruna, or crown (currency sign, sign: Kč; ISO 4217, code: CZK, ), has been the currency of the Czech Republic since 1993. The koruna is one of the European Union's eight currencies, and the Czech Republic is legally bound to Czech Repub ...

were collected for the renovation of the tower, 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.

Present

The observation tower is high, 153 steps lead to the observation deck. The tower offers a panoramic view over

Bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...

and

Saxon Switzerland Saxon Switzerland (, ) is a hilly climbing area and national park in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. It is located around the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany, adjoining Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic. Toge ...

, and

Lusatian Mountains The Lusatian Mountains (; ; ) are a mountain range of the Western Sudetes on the southeastern border of Germany with the Czech Republic. They are a continuation of the Ore Mountains range west of the Elbe valley. The mountains of the northern, G ...

. 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 sect ...

. Ascents may be made from the town of Jílové or from the German municipality of Rosenthal-Bielatal to the north.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decinsky Sneznik Mountains and hills of the Czech Republic Elbe Sandstone Mountains Rock formations of the Czech Republic Děčín District Mesas