Větruše

This building with a lookout tower is located on the Větruše hill in Ústí nad Labem. It is situated at an altitude of 210 meters and its observation deck is located at a height of 25 meters above the ground. A total of 111 steps lead to it and from there there is a nice view of the city, the Ore Mountains and the Czech Central Mountains.

You can get to the lookout tower in several ways:

One of them starts in the Forum department store, from where a cable car leads to the lookout tower.
From the train station, you can walk along the yellow tourist sign. It is about 1 km from the road.
You can also go here by bike. The cycle path leads from the roundabout to below Větruš.
You can also drive from the roundabout and drive towards the motorway, then turn uphill from the main road.
The history of buildings in Větruš dates back to the 9th century. At that time, a certain Labohoř built Wittrusch Castle here, which later burned down and disappeared.

In 1839, one of the local settlers again looked for a spring for a well and discovered the fortification. This finding inspired him to design and build a restaurant, which was completed in 1847.

The local restaurant, which is also called Zámeček, is dated to fifty years later. At that time, the Association for the Czech Central Mountains wanted to build a magnificent and excursion facility here. For this purpose, they bought the land and demolished the old building. Then a competition for the best project was announced. On July 13, 1896, a decision was made on the construction and a month later it began. On 15 October, the foundation stone was laid. Exactly one year later, on October 17, 1897, the building was completed and inaugurated.

After the Second World War, the building was handed over to the national administration on the basis of Beneš's decrees. In the following years, the building changed several owners. Since the 1960s, Větruše has served as a hostel for foreign workers. At that time, the building was also equipped with an ugly extension. The restaurant had a bad water supply, so it was closed. In 1989, the chateau was privatized and during the following years it was only speculated about as a subject of purchase. The building changed owners and its technical condition deteriorated.

In 2000, a fire was deliberately started in Větruš, as a result of which the roof was destroyed. In 2001, the city council bought the chateau at auction for about two million crowns. The whole area was gradually repaired, then equipped with a sports field and a mirror maze. In 2010, a cable car was built here.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová