Ještěd Tower

About

Ještěd Tower is the unmistakable symbol of Liberec, a futuristic silhouette rising above the Jizera Mountains. Completed in 1973, it combines a television transmitter with a mountain hotel in a single hyperboloid structure, an architectural solution that earned designer Karel Hubáček the prestigious Perret Prize. Inside, visitors can explore retro‑styled hotel interiors preserved from the 1970s, offering a rare glimpse into the era’s design aesthetic. The restaurant, wrapped in panoramic windows, provides sweeping views that on clear days stretch deep into Poland and Germany. Exhibits throughout the tower explain its construction challenges, including how engineers anchored the building against extreme winds and harsh winter conditions. One of the most interesting facts is that Ještěd’s shape was calculated to visually extend the mountain peak, creating a seamless natural‑technological silhouette. The tower remains both a functional transmitter and a cultural icon, blending engineering brilliance with mountain atmosphere.

Liberec Czech Republic

Location

Ještěd Tower is located on the summit of Ještěd mountain, at an elevation of 1,012 metres, above the city of Liberec in northern Bohemia, Czech Republic. The building is officially known as the Ještěd Hotel and TV Tower and sits at Horní Hanychov 153 in the Liberec 8 district, about 10 kilometres from the city centre. It is easily reached by tram No. 3 from the city centre to Horní Hanychov, then by a short walk or cableway up to the summit. This iconic building is a 94-metre-tall hyperboloid structure that combines a television transmitter, a hotel, and a restaurant in one futuristic design. It was designed by architect Karel Hubáček and built in the 1960s and 1970s, winning many architectural awards and becoming a national cultural monument. The observation deck offers panoramic views over the Giant Mountains, Jizera Mountains, Ještěd Ridge, and on clear days as far as Poland and Saxon Switzerland. Nearby attractions include the Ještědka cottage and Rašovka restaurant with its own lookout tower along the ridge, as well as the Cairn for Airmen memorial to a 1948 aircraft crash. The JEŠTĚD Mountain Resort offers a bike park, chairlifts, ski slopes in winter, and educational trails such as the Glassmaking Trail and Beer Brewing Trail.