Růženka, Observation tower in Růžová, Czech Republic.
Růženka is a concrete observation tower standing roughly 6 meters tall on the Pastevní vrch hill. An internal staircase climbs to an open viewing platform offering views across the surrounding countryside.
A windmill stood on Pastevní vrch until it burned down in 1868. The Hubertusbaude restaurant, whose foundations remain visible, was destroyed by fire on 6 February 1932. In 1809 Johann Christoph Schubert of Růžová had a stone cross erected on the summit, replacing a wooden one; it was renovated in 2005. From 1945 to 1948 a military guard unit with a radar was stationed on the hill.
The tower's name comes from the village of Růžová, whose name means "rose" in Czech. The hill was called Hutberg in German times, and the stone cross built here in 1809 by Johann Christoph Schubert was the goal of petition processions held twice a year; it was restored in 2005. The foundations of the former Hubertusbaude restaurant, burned on 6 February 1932, are still visible on the summit.
Walking trails from Růžová village lead directly to the tower, or you can use access points throughout the Bohemian Switzerland national park. The climb requires no special equipment and is manageable for most visitors.
The tower is only 6 metres tall, yet its platform gives a full circular panorama: the sandstone table mountains of Saxon Switzerland (Grosser and Kleiner Zschirnstein, Pfaffenstein, Lilienstein, Zirkelstein, Schrammsteine) rise to the north above the Elbe valley, and Děčínský Sněžník closes the view to the southwest. The interior walls list the names of everyone who contributed to the building fund.
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