Praděd

Praděd
Aerial view of Praděd
Elevation	1,491.3 m (4,893 ft)
Location
Praděd Location in the Czech Republic
Location	North Moravia - West Silesia, Czech Republic
Range	Hrubý Jeseník
Coordinates	50°5′0″N 17°14′0″E

Praděd (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpraɟɛt]; German: Altvater; Polish: Pradziad; "Grandfather") (1,491.3 metres) is the highest mountain of Hrubý Jeseník mountains and Moravia and Czech Silesia and is fifth highest mountain of Czech Republic. The average annual temperature is about 1°C. A television transmitter is situated on the top, 162 m high. The upper platform is used as a watchtower. The mountain is also a popular area to ski.

History

As a copy of the original Altvaterturm, this was built in 2004 on the Wetzstein in Germany.

First building on the mountain was a stone watchtower, 32 m high. It was built between 1903 and 1912 by the Sudeten German tourist association. After 1945, the tourist association no longer existed because all Germans were expelled. Due to its unmaintained condition in communist Czechoslovakia, with water freezing in cracks breaking it up, the watchtower collapsed May 2, 1959 shortly before it was supposed to get fixed.

The Petrovy kameny (Peter’s stones) is a gneiss stone formation in the Hrubý Jeseník mountain range of the Czech Republic, near the peak. In the Middle Ages, people feared the place, believing witches lived there. The area is home to many rare plants, so it is not open to the public.

Summit of Praděd, August 2005

The transmitter was built between 1968 and 1983. A restaurant is located in the building and can be reached by a paved road. The High Tatras, Malá Fatra Mts. and Alps can be seen from the watchtower platform.