Velký Lopeník lookout tower

It is a wooden lookout tower with a stone pedestal, located at an altitude of 911 meters. The 22-meter-high lookout tower was officially opened in 2005.

A total of 101 steps lead to the viewing platform. It is located at a height of about 19 meters above the ground and has a nice view of the Beskydy Mountains, Strážovské hills, Mala Fatra, Pálava, Chřiby, Hostýnské hills and more.

The lookout tower can only be reached on foot. Hiking trails lead to them. Yellow leads from Lopeník from the cottage through Grúň and Malý Lopeník.
About 3 km long is a green marked road. A blue tourist sign leads here from the village of Nová Bošáca in Slovakia.
The lookout tower is open daily all year round without restrictions.

Velký Lopeník has worn several lookout towers in recent years. The first one stood here before the Second World War. The Germans built a new lookout tower here in 1944, which was set on fire the following year, and it was not restored until 1946. Its height was 16 meters and stood here until the 1970s, when it collapsed due to poor technical condition.

A cross-border association of municipalities stood at the construction of the current lookout tower. At the end of 2002, three of the models were selected and submitted as proposals. The author of the winning project is architect Sedláček. The lookout tower has a lattice structure and a stone base.

The lookout tower was ceremoniously opened on July 16, 2005. However, due to the harsh climatic conditions, the condition of the lookout tower soon began to deteriorate. The village of Lopeník then decided to paint the whole structure with ox blood, but in the end everything went only symbolically thanks to the fact that the village finally managed to find a sponsor who provided the paint.

Author: Andrea Štyndlová