Biskupská kupa lookout tower

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Zlaté Hory

The real dominant feature of the Golden Mountains region is this lookout tower at an altitude of 890 m on the Czech-Polish border.

It was built as the first stone lookout tower in the Jeseníky Mountains in 1898 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the reign of Emperor Franz Joseph. In 1890, however, there was already a wooden pyramid tower at the top of Biskupská kupa. However, it deteriorated and collapsed within five years. The greatest credit for the construction of the 19-metre high stone tower went to the then Sudeten tourist association MSSGV. During both world wars the tower served as an observation tower.

From the gallery of the observation tower you can see all the peaks of the Jeseníky Mountains, including Praděd. Králický Sněžník can be seen to the west. To the east, the Beskydy Mountains and, in very good visibility, the highest peaks of the High Tatras. The vast plain of the Polish lowlands opens up to the north, where you can see the chimneys of the second largest thermal power plant in Poland near Opole (65 km) and the outline of the city of Wroclaw, 100 km away.

The tower can be reached on foot along the green hiking trail from Zlaté Hory or from the saddle on the Zlaté Hory-Jindřichov road (1.5 km). If you choose the route from the Zlaté Hory (4 km), expect an elevation gain of about 450 m. A gentler route is possible on the St. Roch nature trail from Petry Budy. There is also a blue hiking trail from Petrovice to the Zlaté Hory border crossing and a red border trail through Biskupská kupa.