Varhošť, Summit in České středohoří, Czech Republic

Aarhorst is a summit in the Czech Central Mountains standing at 639 meters with a steel observation tower on top. The 15-meter tall tower provides views across the eastern portion of the mountain range and has been reinforced over time to ensure visitor safety.

A wooden viewing platform was first built in 1891 by local society members, beginning a series of changes to the hilltop structure. The current steel tower was constructed in 1973 and replaced earlier wooden versions that could not withstand weathering over time.

The steel tower reflects local engineering skill and has become part of how people relate to this hilltop location. It serves as a gathering point where visitors come to survey the surrounding landscape, connecting them to the land below.

The shortest approach starts east of the summit, from the road between Kundratice and Čeřeniště: about 500 metres and 90 metres of climbing, roughly 20 minutes. From Sebuzín on the Elbe a marked trail climbs some 4 kilometres and 500 metres, green waymarks first, then yellow.

The 1973 tower was not assembled on the summit: the steel structure was made in the Chomutov ironworks and flown up in sections by helicopter, which set the 13-tonne frame onto the concrete base. Sand for repairing that base was carried up by hand from the saddle below.