Klinovec

Klinovec reaches 1244 metres and is the highest summit of the Krusne hory, the Ore Mountains, the long range along the German border named for the silver, tin and later uranium taken out of it. The summit carries a stone lookout tower built in 1884, twenty-four metres high, restored after long neglect and open again, with a view over the Bohemian basin south and into Saxony north; the Fichtelberg, the highest German summit of the range, stands opposite across the frontier. There is a hotel and a transmitter on top. In winter it is the largest ski area in the Czech part of the range, linked by lift and trail towards Neklid and the German side. Jachymov below is where uranium was first identified and where the Curies got their pitchblende, and it has a radon spa built on the same deposits.

History

The first public observation tower on the summit of Klínovec was built as early as 1817 and soon became popular with visitors to the spa of Karlsbad, Karlovy Vary. The wooden tower burned in 1868, and a new stone one, named the Emperor Franz Joseph Tower, was built in 1883 and 1884 and survives; it is 24 metres high and was extended with a hotel in 1893, when visitors needed somewhere to stay. In the 1950s a broadcasting tower was put up on the summit, exceeding the observation tower by 32 metres (Wikipedia, Klínovec).

Highlights

• The highest Ore Mountains summit - 1244 metres, with Saxony visible north.
• A stone tower of 1884 - twenty-four metres, restored and open.
• The largest ski area in the range - lifts and pistes on the Czech side.
• Jachymov below - where the Curies' pitchblende came from.

When to go

June to September, or the ski season. Half a day.

Good to know

The summit is often in cloud and wind. The tower closes in bad weather and outside season. The top is built up with a hotel and transmitter rather than wild. Lifts run to a seasonal timetable.

Nearby

Jachymov and its radon spa are below; Boci Dar is on the plateau.

Key facts