Vrbice lookout tower

The Vrbice lookout tower has a wooden structure, while the stairs and railings are made of iron. It is located at the top of the castle, about half a kilometer from Vrbice to the northwest and about 12 km from Rychnov nad Kněžnou in the southwest direction. It is located at an altitude of 445 meters and was officially opened to tourists on April 15, 2006.

The lookout tower with a total height of 29 meters has an observation platform located at a height of 25.5 meters above the ground. A total of 118 steps lead to it and it offers a beautiful view of the whole of Hradec Králové and Pardubice with Kunětická hora, as well as Orlické mountains, Rychnov nad Kněžnou and Andrlův chlum and others.

You can get to the lookout tower relatively easily. It lies by the road between Suchá Rybná and Vrbice. You can turn here, for example, in Svídnice or Krchleby. A red tourist sign also leads to the lookout tower ..

In the months of April, May, June and September, the lookout tower is open on weekends and holidays between 10 am and 12 noon and then between 1 pm and 5 pm. During the summer holidays, it is open daily from 12 noon to 12 noon and from 1 pm to 5 pm. From May to September, night views are held every Saturday, weather permitting.

The lookout tower has been located in Vrbice since the autumn of 2005. It is wooden and equipped with a steel staircase. Originally, a church dating from the 13th century stood on the Kastel hill. In 1937, the army built a triangulation tower with a height of 37 meters. It was not accessible to tourists, but people mostly did not respect this ban. After the war, the tower was no longer used, so it fell into disrepair, until in 1946 it was demolished.

The construction of the new lookout tower was carried out on the basis of a decision of the municipal council in 2004. The project was then developed by Antonín Olšina. The lookout tower is equipped with two viewing platforms, at a height of 11 and 25.5 meters.
The Vrbice lookout tower was officially opened to tourists on April 15, 2006. More than a thousand people took part in this event.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová