Jested Tower

Jested is the 1,012 metre hill directly above Liberec, and the building on top of it is the reason to come: a concrete cone that continues the line of the mountain upward, completed in the early 1970s to hold a transmitter, a hotel and a restaurant inside one shape. The architect worked out that the summit needed extending rather than decorating, and the result is one of the few Czech buildings of its period that people travel to see. Inside, rooms and corridors follow the curve of the outer wall, and much of the original fitting survives. A cable car runs up from Horni Hanychov in a few minutes; the walk takes about two hours.

What you actually see

• The cone - the hyperboloid concrete shell that continues the profile of the hill instead of sitting on it.
• The interior - curved corridors, original fittings and a restaurant level following the shape of the wall.
• The summit terrace - the open ground around the base, with Liberec directly below in its basin.
• The cable car - the short steep ride up from Horni Hanychov at the end of the Liberec tram line.

When to go

Clear winter days give the sharpest views, with the Krkonose ridge visible in snow. Summer evenings are good for the light over Liberec. Check webcams first, because the summit spends a lot of the year inside cloud. The cable car closes for wind and for an annual maintenance period, so confirm before travelling.

Honest expectations

The summit is in cloud often, and then you have paid for a ride into grey. The interior is dated in places and the restaurant trades heavily on the view rather than the food. The cable car queues on fine weekends and stops in wind. The building is a working transmitter, so parts are closed. It is cold and exposed on top.

Nearby

Liberec sits below with its town hall and gallery, and the Jizera mountains run north from the city.