Lookout tower on Hlínský hill near Ivančice

Hlínský kopec has been offering a tourist attraction since 2007 - a wooden lookout tower. It is located on the northwestern edge of the Hlína hill, about 20 km southwest of Brno.

The lookout tower was officially opened on April 29, 2007 and construction took place from May 2005 to August 2006. It is located at an altitude of 450 meters and its total height is 22 meters.

96 steps will take you to the viewing platform. From a height of 19 meters above the ground you will see, for example, Pálavské vrchy, Dukovany, and if the weather is inclined and visibility is good, you will also see the Totes Gebirge and Schneeberg in the Alps.

The easiest way to get to the lookout tower is from the village of Hlína. It is located just behind the village to the left, next to the road to Neslovice.
If you go from Ivančice, a blue tourist sign leads directly here. You can also get to the lookout tower along the cycle path No. 5171.

From April to October, the lookout tower is open on weekends and public holidays from 10 am to 5 pm. From November to March it is only open on Sundays from 1 pm to 3 pm. If the weather is bad, the lookout tower is closed. If you plan to visit the lookout tower in a group of more than ten people outside the opening hours, it is possible to make an appointment in advance by calling 777 805 820.

The history of the lookout towers, standing on Hlínský Hill, dates back to 1910, when the first one, built on the initiative of the Ivančice Tourist Association, was built here. The lookout tower was built in two months, measured 17 meters and was structurally a beam tower on a stone foundation. There was also a snack bar near it, where tourists could refresh themselves. However, the condition of the lookout tower deteriorated over time and the complete end came in 1938, when it was demolished and sold at auction as a building material.

A year later, however, tourists saw a new lookout tower. The nearby triangulation tower was raised, so it served not only for surveying but also for tourist purposes. It was demolished in 1944.

The construction of the current lookout tower was not very easy and it was often accompanied by considerable complications. In 2001, the Czech Tourists Club, the Municipality of Hlína and representatives of Ivančice agreed to build a new lookout tower. Funds for its construction were obtained from sponsorship donations, the budget of individual municipalities and public collections. The foundation stone for the construction of the new lookout tower was laid on May 27, 2001.

Unfortunately, certain delays followed between Ivančice and Hlína, so the construction was finally postponed until 2005. The situation was helped to resolve by the company Self Ivančice, which was to place its transmitters and the construction company IVYSO on the tower. A concrete pedestal was built in 2005 and a year later a wooden part of the lookout tower was built. Commissioning took place on March 27, 2007 and the grand opening on April 29 of the same year.

However, the current lookout tower does not stand on the site of the original tower. But it is only a short distance away.

The lookout tower was named after Vladimír Menšík, a native of Ivančice, who liked to go for walks to this place.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová