Do you like a walking trip with a great view of the region? In that case, go to the Neo-Gothic lookout lookout, Štěpánka, which prince Rohan is said to have paid for with his life.
The beautiful building of the oldest lookout of the Jizera Mountains can be found on the top of the Star (958 m above .m.). When the weather is nice, you have a perfect view of the entire region from the 24-meter-high two-story tower. When you walk up eighty-one steps, you have, as in the palm of your hand, the Giant Mountains, the Jizera Mountains, the Souš reservoir and even you can see jested. It doesn't matter if you don't know much about geography, because on the observation deck on the first open floor you have everything marked and marked correctly on the backrests. The second floor at peak times is already covered with glass and it's tight. But it's worth it to get in there.
The prince didn't want to build it.
The lookout was built in 1847 by the legendary Prince Kamil Rohan in honour of Archduke Stephen. While supervising the construction of the road from Liberec to the Giant Mountains, he climbed the Star (then Buchstein). But soon the Archduke lost influence, so the prince stopped the construction. But the reputation explains it differently and speaks of prophecy. The gypsy should have predicted rohan would die after the lookout was completed. And so for four decades nothing happened until the tower was bought by a mountain club and in 1892 the construction was completed. The prince was almost ninety-two years old at the time and died. Whether it was an interplay of coincidences or not, let everyone take it for themselves.
Which way to go
The best way to get to the lookout is from the villages of Kořenov (which owns it) and Příchovice. There you can drive and park. More savvy walkers can go from Tanvald or Harrachov. From November to December 23, it is open on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The lookout is closed on Christmas Eve. It is open again from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from December 25 to March 31. Outside these opening hours it is possible for min. 10 people arrange an individual tour by phone. Under the lookout there is a stand with refreshments and souvenirs and a nice playground. There are restaurants nearby where you can buy even a hot dog on the express train or have a whole lunch at reasonable prices. So a hike to the lookout is the perfect family trip.
Our tip – If you go to the lookout in autumn, do not forget to bring a dragon with you in fine weather. It's a great place to fly in nearby fields.
