Classic South Bohemia
Kleť — Josefova věž lookout and cable car
By car 27 min
A trip to Kleť can combine the cable car and the view from the oldest stone lookout in Bohemia, standing since 1825. Prince Schwarzenberg had it built for his family. Its shape closely recalls the tower from the Schwarzenberg coat of arms.
Kleť is the highest hill of Blanský les, about twenty kilometres from Budějovice, and the single-seat cable car from Krásetín from 1961 takes you up in a quarter of an hour. From the lookout gallery you see Šumava, Novohradské hory and Temelín, and on a few days a year, in exceptionally clean air, the Alps too. A short way below the summit stands the observatory where asteroids are discovered.
Practical details
- By car 27 min
- Opening hours: lanovka v červenci a srpnu každou hodinu 9:00–17:00, o víkendech do 18:00. Rozhledna podle počasí, uvádí se St–Pá 12:00–18:00 a So–Ne 9:00–17:00
On site
The lookout stands on the very summit, a short walk above the observatory (story), cylindrical with crenellated battlements — worth comparing with the Schwarzenberg arms on your phone. From the gallery, in clear weather, you see part of Šumava, Budějovicko, Novohradské hory and Temelín; with really clean air the Alps appear on the horizon. Worth trying: most visitors never see the Alps because they are visible only a few days a year. You can also compare two buildings on one hill — the 1825 stone tower and the modern observatory dome, minutes apart and one hundred and seventy years apart.