Rozhledna Diana, Observation tower in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic.
Rozhledna Diana is a brick observation tower with a covered wooden gallery rising 40 meters (131 feet) from its base. It sits on a ridge at an elevation of 556 meters (1,824 feet) and features an open platform where visitors can stand to look outward.
This tower was built between 1912 and 1914 and originally carried different names reflecting the political changes of its time. It was called Hans Kudlich during the First Republic and later renamed to honor a political figure after World War Two.
The name Diana, after the Roman goddess of the hunt, replaced the tower's earlier names: from 1926 it was called Dr. Kundlich-Warte after Hans Kudlich, and right after World War II Beneš rozhledna. The lookout was first promoted in 1804, when the cutler Wenzel Drumm and his uncle August Leopold Stöhr laid out a marked path with benches on the Freundschaftshöhe.
The cable car starts from Mariánská Street, not from any hotel, and covers 453 metres with a 167-metre climb; it opened in 1912 and ran open cars until 1965. On foot, follow the blue-marked trail or the spa paths from town. At the tower, 150 steps lead to the 35-metre gallery, or an eight-person lift.
The tower's first visitors arrived by a funicular that opened on 5 August 1908, four years before the tower itself; its valley station lay on the Alte Wiese at 389 m and it climbed 167 m over 437 m, with a passing loop at Hirschensprung. The brick tower, designed by Karlsbad architect Anton Breinl and built by František Fousek, was inaugurated on 27 May 1914 and is a listed state monument.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,099 contributors worldwide.
