Pastýřka lookout tower

The Shepherdess at Pastvisko near Moravská Třebová is an iron lookout tower with wooden struts, located at an altitude of 515 meters. It is located on the Pastvisko hill about 2 km south of Moravská Třebová and about 12 km east of Svitavy.

The viewing platform is located at a height of 25 meters above the ground and 111 steps lead to it. In total, the lookout tower is 24 meters high and offers a view of Beech Mountain, Jeseníky Mountains, Eagle Mountains, Králický Sněžník and Hřebeč Massif.

There are several paths to the lookout tower. The shortest leads from the square in Moravská Třebová, if you follow the red tourist sign. It is about 2.5 km long and leads along Bránská Street to Písek, along Dvorská Street below the ski slope. From here we turn left onto a dirt road. We take a relatively steep climb to the forest, along which we get to the turn Pod Pastviskem. At the turnoff, turn right and continue up the hill to the lookout tower.

About a kilometer longer, but a more comfortable road leads from the square along the green tourist sign to Písek. However, it continues along Jevíčská Street past the military school. Behind the car park, turn right onto a forest path that leads through the valley to the "v Pekle" well, after which you turn right following the red sign. At the next crossroads "Nad Peklem", turn right towards Moravská Třebová. Then the road leads up a gentle hill about 500 meters to the lookout tower.

The lookout tower is freely accessible all year round.

The history of the lookout tower on Pastvisko dates back to a hundred years ago, when the lookout tower of Prince Lichtenstein used to stand here on a hill called Swedish Hill. It was built in 1906 by a mountain association, measuring 23 meters and had a relatively nice view of the surroundings. The lookout tower was open in the summer from 4 pm to 6 pm, but in case of interest, tourists could borrow the keys from the cashier and visit it themselves. But the lookout tower did not stand here for too long. In 1916, it was destroyed by a storm and the tower collapsed. Unfortunately, at the fateful moment, there were seven people upstairs and a young girl lost her life here at the time.

An attempt to restore the lookout tower came only in 2005, when the new lookout tower was supposed to stand on a stallion hill near Kamenná Horka, but this plan fell through. The management of the town of Moravská Třebová finally decided that the new lookout tower will stand on the Pastvisko hill south of the town.

The construction of the lookout tower began on October 18, 2008. The foundation stones were laid here by the tourists themselves, who also voted on the new name of the lookout tower. Of the many names, the Shepherdess eventually won. It was ceremoniously opened on June 20, 2009 as part of the City Festival.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová