The Petřín Lookout Tower () is a steel-framework tower tall on

Petřín Petřín () is a hill in the centre of Prague, Czech Republic. It rises 327 m above sea level and some 130 m above the left bank of the Vltava River. The hill, almost entirely covered with parks, is a favorite recreational area for the inhabit ...

Hill in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, built in 1891. It resembles the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

and was used as an observation tower as well as a transmission tower. Today the tower is a major tourist attraction.

Description

The

Hill is roughly a half-hour walk up paths and the tower is also quite an arduous climb; however, the hill is served by a frequent

Petřín funicular The Petřín funicular () is a funicular railway in the Czech capital city of Prague. It normally links the Malá Strana district with the top of Petřín () hill, and is operated by the tramway division of Prague Integrated Transport, the local ...

and the tower has an

elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...

for elderly and disabled people. In 2014 the tower was visited by more than 557,000 visitors, with foreigners accounting for over 70% of said visitors. The two observation platforms are accessible via 299 stairs in sections of 13 per flight running around the inside of the structure. A pair of staircases form a double-helix structure allowing visitors travelling up and down concurrently. There are a gift shop and a small cafeteria on the main level. On the lowest level is a small exhibition area. One exhibition displayed

Merkur Merkur (, '' Mercury'') is a North American brand of automobiles marketed by the Lincoln- Mercury division of Ford Motor Company for model years 1985–1989. Drawing its name from the German word for Mercury, Merkur, the brand targeted buyers ...

Observation Towers and was held from 6 March 2013 to 30 March 2014.

Comparisons to the Eiffel Tower

Petřín Lookout Tower is often described a smaller version of the Eiffel Tower, which is 328m tall. In contrast to the Eiffel Tower, Petřín Lookout Tower has an octagonal, not square, cross-section. Further, it does not stand, as does the Eiffel Tower, on four columns of lattice steel. The whole area under its legs is covered with the entrance hall. A similarity between the Eiffel Tower and Petřín Lookout Tower is the design of the lowest cross beams in the form of round bones.

History

In 1889, members of the Club of Czech Tourists visited the world exposition in Paris and were inspired by the Eiffel Tower. They collected a sufficient amount of money and in March 1891 the building of the tower started for the World's Jubilee Exhibition. It was finished in only four months. The tower had a

lift Lift or LIFT may refer to: Physical devices * Elevator, or lift, a device used for raising and lowering people or goods ** Paternoster lift, a type of lift using a continuous chain of cars which do not stop ** Patient lift, or Hoyer lift, mobile ...

for six people, first on a gas train, later on an electric drive. In 1953, a television transmitter was set up in the tower and the lift was removed, the tube was filled with cables and power supply. In 1953, a television broadcasting antenna was installed on Petřín Lookout Tower, the program feed performed by a directional radio antenna. This served as Prague's television signal provider until the opening of the

Žižkov Television Tower The Žižkov Television Tower () is a transmitter tower built in Prague between 1985 and 1992. Designed by the architect Václav Aulický and the structural engineer Jiří Kozák, it stands high above the city's traditional skyline from its po ...

in late 1992. The tower was closed for public during reconstruction in 1979–1992. In 1999–2002, the tower was again completely reconstructed and a new lift for disabled and elderly people was installed. From 21 January 2013 the tower has been operated by City of Prague Museum.

References

External links

Petřínská rozhledna
* https://web.archive.org/web/20060112084933/http://www.rozhlednyunas.cz/rozhledny/petrinska-rozhledna-v-praze/ * http://www.pis.cz/cz/praha/adresar/petrinska_rozhledna * * http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?b41048
History of Petrinska rozhledna

{{DEFAULTSORT:Petrin Lookout Tower Towers in Prague Replicas and derivatives of the Eiffel Tower Observation towers in the Czech Republic Towers completed in 1891 Tourist attractions in Prague World's fair architecture in Europe Petřín 1891 establishments in Austria-Hungary Communication towers in the Czech Republic

Description

Comparisons to the Eiffel Tower

History

See also

References

External links