Prague Lookout Tower

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Description

The Petřínská rozhledna (Petřín lookout tower) is a 60 metre high steel framework tower in Prague, which strongly resembles the Eiffel Tower. Although it is much shorter than the Eiffel Tower, it stands atop a sizable hill, Petřín, so the top is actually at a higher altitude than that of the Eiffel Tower. The Petřínská rozhledna was built in 1891 and was used as an observation tower as well as a transmission tower. Today the Petřínská rozhledna is a major tourist attraction. If you go up the hard way, the hill is roughly a half-hour walk up paths that get quite slippery when it snows, and the tower is a shorter but fairly tiring climb; however, the hill is served by a frequent funicular and the tower has an elevator for disabled persons.

On clear days, the tower offers a good view of the Prague skyline.

It is open from 10am to 7-10pm every day from April to October and only at weekends from November to March, from 10am to 5pm. There is a gift shop and a small cafeteria on the main level. On the lowest level is a small museum of Jára Cimrman.

Petrinska rozhledna versus Eiffel Tower

Petřínská rozhledna is often described as small version of the Eiffel Tower. This is however not correct, because in contrast to the Eiffel Tower, Petřínská rozhledna has an octagonal and not a square cross section over its whole height. Further, it does not stand, as does the Eiffel Tower, on four columns of lattice steel. Its design more resembles that of the Observation Tower Height of Goetzingen near Neustadt/Saxonia than the Eiffel Tower. However in contrast to both towers the whole area under its legs is covered with the entrance hall. A similarity between the Eiffel Tower and Petřínská rozhledna is the design of the lowest cross beams in the form of round bows. The two observation platforms are accessible via lifts and stairs, with two sets of stairs, one for ascending and one for descending, running around the inside of the structure. A nominal entrance fee of 100 CZK (4 euros) and 50 CZK for students is payable to access the observation platforms.

History

In 1889, members of The Club of Czech Tourists visited world exposition in Paris and were inspired by the Eiffel Tower. Later, they collected a sufficient amount of money and in March, 1891 the building of the tower started. It was finished in only 4 months.

In 1953 on Petrínská rozhledna a TV broadcasting antenna was installed, whereby the program feed was performed by a directional radio antenna. This served as Prague's main TV signal provider until the opening of the Žižkov Television Tower in late 1992. In 1999, the tower was completely renovated.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia