Top 10 towers in the Czech Republic

Prague is known as the City of a Hundred Spires, but it doesn’t have a monopoly of towers that offer good views. Many cities have a tower on the town square. Castles and mountain tops also often sport a good lookout post.

Few have elevators, so be ready for a steep climb up some windy stairs. On a clear day, you will be surprised by how far you can see.

The rankings, based on 2018 statistics, come from CzechTourism, based on paid admissions to towers that are open to the public on a regular basis. The Old Town Hall Clock Tower in Prague was not listed separately as a tower, but Old Town Hall as a whole had 599,500 visitors in 2018. This would have been good enough for second place,

Visitors in 2018:
34,400

The highest tower in Krušné hory (Ore Mountians) is a 4 km hike from Boží Dar. The area recently became a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its mines, and the tower can give a good overview as far a Germany. The tower and adjacent hotel complex are listed as cultural monuments. Kaiser-Franz-Josephs-Turm, as the tower was first called, was built in 1884. It was a popular destination for people visiting spas in the Karlovy Vary area. EU funds were used to rebuild the tower in 2013, as it was in very poor technical condition. In winter, the area is known for skiing.

Visitors in 2018:
35,700

The 72-meter tower is a dominant feature of Hradec Králové and offers views into the Krkonoše Orlické hory mountain ranges. The tower’s name is due to the white sandstone used to build it. Inside the tower, there is the third-largest largest bell in the country, called Augustin, A renovation on 2014–15 saw the installation of new audiovisual devices. Once a month, the tower is open at night, and less frequently it is open for sunrise. The tower was built staring in 1574.

Visitors in 2018:
36,100

The Czech Republic’s second largest city is home to a historical Old Town Hall with a stuffed dragon, which looks suspiciously like a crocodile, and magic wheel, both the source of popular legends. The tower measures 63 meters but is not the tallest structure in the city. The residential AZ Tower, built in 2013, reaches 111 meters. The Old Town Hall Tower, though, offers a view of the historical center. Construction on the Old Town Hall began in 1240, with significant elements added in the renaissance and Baroque eras. The tower is closed in winter.

Visitors in 2018:
38,500

Visitors in 2018:
53,900

The highest City
Hall tower in the country measures 85.6 meters tall, and has an
elevator. The New Town Hall was built in 1925–30, and the tower is
by far the youngest on the list. With good weather, you can see
mountain peaks as far as Poland. Ostrava is trying to reinvent itself
as a post-industrial cultural center, with music and art festivals. A
main attraction though, is the former iron works in the part of town
called Dolní Vítkovice.

Visitors in 2018:
56,800

The castle, now in
ruins, was supposed to be on another hill. Legend says fairy
tale–style dwarves from a cave called the Devil’s Hole (Čertova
díra) prevented construction. The early history of the castle
remains a mystery, though. It was built sometime around 1200 and was
for a while used by Templars. The castle and tower have been state
property since 1994. the town itself is known for a pastry called
Štramberk Ears (Štramberské uši). The tower offers good photo
opportunities of a quaint small town and surrounding forest.

Visitors in 2018:
65,700

Visits in 2018:
78,100

On the opposite side of the bridge from sixth-ranked Malá Strana Bridge Tower is the Old Town Bridge Tower, with a facade filled with mystical symbols and statues linking the earth to heaven. The tower was meant to be a triumphal entryway to Old Town. The view from the top of the tower is spectacular at sunsets, with the bridge leading across the river and the sun setting somewhere behind Prague Castle or Petřín. Inside the tower are rooms with elaborate ceilings and historical exhibits Hidden away a bit is the statue of Věžník, the guardian of the tower.

Visits in 2018:
166,400

The Petřín
Observation Tower (Petřínská rozhledna), sometimes called the
Little Eiffel Tower, opened to the public on Aug. 20, 1891. The idea
to build the tower was launched in 1889 by members of the Club of
Czech Tourists who had visited the Exposition Universelle in Paris,
where they saw the actual Eiffel Tower.

Visits in 2018:
697,600