Zvičina, Mountain summit in Krkonošsko-jesenická Highlands, Czech Republic.
Zvičina is the highest summit of the Zvičina–Kocléřov ridge in the Krkonoše foothills, rising to 672 m about half a kilometre east of the village of Zvičina in Třebihošť. Its top holds the Baroque church of St John of Nepomuk from 1706, the Raisova chata tourist lodge with its viewing tower, and two radio masts.
A wooden church dedicated to Jan Hus stood on the summit from 1584. Count Ferdinand Kotulínský had a stone church built on its site in 1706, completed in 1711 and consecrated to Jan Nepomucký. The chalet followed in 1891, and its lookout tower was added in 1925.
The name Zvičina has no certain origin. Antonín Jungmann in 1827 linked it to a Slavic god of light, Zviča, an idea taken up by Josef Jungmann; others derive it from a personal surname such as Zvík, or from the word for a rise. A memorial book kept in the church records visits by K. J. Erben, whose trips here inspired his poem Horal Čech.
Marked trails reach the summit from Bílá Třemešná, Mezihoří, Třebihošť and Horní Brusnice; the peak is a junction of red, green, blue and yellow routes. Ski lifts run on the slopes when snow conditions allow, and the summit also serves as a launch point for paragliders.
On a clear day, the tower at the top offers views of three separate mountain ranges at once: the Giant Mountains, the Broumov Walls, and the Orlické Mountains. Few spots in the Bohemian highlands give a view that spans such a wide arc of the surrounding landscape.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,083 contributors worldwide.