Svákov Lookout Tower
A wooden lookout tower located on the site of a prehistoric Slavic hillfort, offering views of Soběslav and the Marian chapel, next to which is a spring with allegedly healing water. The total height of the tower is 14 meters, and the viewing platform is located at 10 meters.
Svákov is an ideal destination for lovers of old legends, especially for those with a vivid imagination. On a high cliff above the Lužnice River, just across from the town of Soběslav, once stood a powerful fortress inhabited during the Bronze Age, later by Celts and Slavs. Anyone who likes to dream can imagine tall ramparts and palisades, palace towers, smoke rising from forges, and warriors silently guarding the river below.
Today, the hillfort is overgrown with scrub and forest. However, the ramparts that once protected the ancient town from the west are still clearly visible, with a distinct gate leading through them. A yellow tourist trail from Soběslav leads to the site. Halfway up, there is a romantic gazebo, and those who pass through the gate will reach the wooden lookout tower offering views of the Soběslav region and the beginnings of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, with Choustník Hill towering as the first outpost of the new hilly landscape.
How to get there
Near the lookout tower ends the yellow-marked tourist trail coming from the Soběslav railway station. The newly repaired forest path to the tower is suitable for both pedestrians and cyclists. Another access route leads from the Soběslav–Nedvědice road.
About 800 meters before the village of Nedvědice, there is a turn-off into the forest on the right side. You can park your car here and walk to the lookout tower along a one-kilometer forest path.
