Havran, Observation tower in Lesná, Czech Republic

Havran is an observation tower in Lesná built with a steel frame and flat roof that rises about 80 feet (24.4 meters) above the ground. From the top, you can survey rolling forests and distant hills stretching across the landscape below.

A military radio-listening tower was built on Havran in 1963, originally 46 m tall with a steel frame and a wooden antenna deck. In the late 1980s it was cut to 26 m and roofed, and the army abandoned it in 1992. The Tachov Military History and Sports Club took over the site, kept the load-bearing structure and added stairs and a viewing platform; it opened on 14 June 2014.

The tower's name comes from the hill Havran, Czech for raven, and its German name Rabenberg. After the army left in 1992, the Tachov Military History and Sports Club took over the site and restored the tower, opening it on Czech Forest Day, 14 June 2014. Visitors today climb it as a free lookout on the Czech-German border.

You can reach the tower by hiking trails that connect from nearby starting points, and signs along the way help you find your direction. The climb is moderate and best done in daylight when visibility is good.

The tower's 1963 steel frame originally carried a wooden antenna deck, and the 11 floors included a kitchen and boiler room for the radio-listening crew. From the platform, look for the transmitter on Dyleň Hill and, beyond it, the peaks of the Slavkovský les, Lesný and Lysina.