--- title: "The Jurkovič lookout tower in Rožnov: history and views" description: "The wooden Jurkovič lookout tower stands on Karlův kopec above Rožnov pod Radhoštěm. Discover its architecture, its history and the view of Radhošť." url: "https://zpusteven.cz/en/jurkovicova-rozhledna" lang: "en" latitude: 49.462385 longitude: 18.1588023 --- ![Aerial view of the Jurkovič lookout tower on Karlův kopec above the Wallachian Village](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/jurkovicova-rozhledna/1280/DJI_0876.avif) Lookout tower • Karlův kopec • Rožnov pod Radhoštěm # The Jurkovič lookout tower A tower built from a design that waited 116 years for its builders. - **Where:** Karlův kopec, 480 m a.s.l. - **Height:** 31 m • platform at 18.8 m - **Climb:** 102 steps up - **Open:** April–October (seasonal) ## A tower a century late A wooden lookout tower has stood on **Karlův kopec** above Valašské muzeum v přírodě since 2012. It follows **a sketch by Dušan Samo Jurkovič from 1896**, and was built 116 years later. A short climb from the car park at the [open-air museum](https://zpusteven.cz/en/valasske-muzeum-v-prirode) brings you to the entrance. From the platform there is a view of the [town](https://zpusteven.cz/en/roznov-pod-radhostem), of [Radhošť](https://zpusteven.cz/en/radhost) and of the whole Rožnovská brázda basin. ![Aerial view of the Jurkovič lookout tower on Karlův kopec above the Wallachian Village](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/jurkovicova-rozhledna/1280/DJI_0051.avif) The wooden lookout tower on Karlův kopec above the Wallachian Village. Click to open the photograph at full size. Why come here ### A wooden tower from a hundred-year-old sketch The tower was built to a design by **Dušan Samo Jurkovič from 1896**, though the building work only happened in 2010–2011. It is 31 metres tall, made of hand-worked timber and stone, in the same colours as Jurkovič's buildings at [Pustevny](https://zpusteven.cz/en/pustevny). When to come ### April to October, in summer until 6 p.m. The tower is open **seasonally, from April to October**, and exceptionally at Easter and at the end of the year. Current opening times are on [www.visitroznov.cz](https://www.visitroznov.cz/jurkovicova-rozhledna-novodoby-klenot-valasske-krajiny/ds-1079). What you can see ### Radhošť, the town and the whole Rožnovská brázda From the platform you can see **Radhošť**, the centre of Rožnov, Vigantice and Hutisko-Solanec, and the villages in the western part of the **Rožnovská brázda** basin. ![Aerial view of the Jurkovič lookout tower on Karlův kopec above the Wallachian Village](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/jurkovicova-rozhledna/1280/DJI_0042.avif) ![Aerial view of the Jurkovič lookout tower on Karlův kopec above the Wallachian Village](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/jurkovicova-rozhledna/1280/DJI_0043.avif) ![Aerial view of the Jurkovič lookout tower on Karlův kopec above the Wallachian Village](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/jurkovicova-rozhledna/1280/DJI_0044.avif) ## The story of Jurkovič's 1896 design A design from 1896 that waited more than a hundred years to be built - from Jurkovič's sketch, worked up into detailed design documentation. An unbuilt design ### A tower that stayed on paper The architect **Dušan Samo Jurkovič** designed a lookout tower in **1896** for a hiking club from Valašské Meziříčí. It was to stand on the hill Brdo in the cadastre of Brňov, today a district of Valašské Meziříčí. The club never found the money to build it, and the design was shelved. This was the time when Jurkovič was still forming the distinctive style he drew from folk architecture. A few years later the lodges [Libušín](https://zpusteven.cz/en/libusin) and [Maměnka](https://zpusteven.cz/en/mamenka) went up to his designs at nearby [Pustevny](https://zpusteven.cz/en/pustevny), today his best-known buildings. A hundred years on ### Built from a hundred-year-old sketch A century later Jurkovič's sketch was found in the archive of Valašské muzeum v přírodě by the Rožnov ethnographer and town councillor **Daniel Drápala**. The town council decided to build it - the architect Antonín Závada prepared the detailed design documentation from it. The hill Hradisko was considered first, but ownership questions and the archaeological survey it would have needed put an end to that. In the end the tower was built on **Karlův kopec**, right beside the grounds of the open-air museum. Building work began in **October 2010**. The shell was finished in December 2011, and on **28 April 2012** the tower opened to visitors. It differs from Jurkovič's original design only in small details, needed to meet today's building regulations. The tower is **31.09 metres** tall, the viewing platform sits at **18.8 metres**, and 102 steps lead up to it. ![Aerial view of the Jurkovič lookout tower on Karlův kopec above the Wallachian Village](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/jurkovicova-rozhledna/1280/DJI_0056%202.avif) Craft ### Stone and hand-worked timber The tower combines two materials: dressed **stone** and traditionally worked, carved **timber**. The load-bearing elements are oak, the rest spruce and fir. Altogether **200 m³ of round timber** went into it. The blacksmithing and tinsmithing, and most of the carpentry, were done **by hand, by old methods** that are barely used today. The colours match Jurkovič's buildings at [Pustevny](https://zpusteven.cz/en/pustevny). The same hand links the tower with [Libušín](https://zpusteven.cz/en/libusin) and [Maměnka](https://zpusteven.cz/en/mamenka). ![Aerial view of the Jurkovič lookout tower on Karlův kopec above the Wallachian Village](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/jurkovicova-rozhledna/1280/DJI_0059.avif) The designer ### Dušan Samo Jurkovič, poet of timber **Dušan Samo Jurkovič (1868–1947)** was an architect, furniture designer and ethnographer. His style is known today as folk Art Nouveau - it joined Art Nouveau ornament with motifs of Carpathian folk architecture. You can recognise it by the deep colours, the carved timber and the shingle roofs. In Wallachia he left behind the lodges **Libušín and Maměnka at Pustevny**. More than a hundred years later, the lookout tower above the Rožnov open-air museum was built to his design and now carries his name. - **the tower designed:** 1896 - **the tower opened:** 2012 - **height of the building:** 31 m Timeline ## From design to lookout tower Four dates with more than a century between them. 1. 1896 ### Jurkovič's design The architect Dušan Samo Jurkovič designs a lookout tower for a hiking club - it was to stand on the hill Brdo near Valašské Meziříčí. 2. 2010 ### A century later, building begins In October work starts on Karlův kopec above the Rožnov open-air museum, to Závada's documentation, worked up from Jurkovič's sketch and adjusted to current regulations. 3. 2011 ### Completion The shell is finished in December. The load-bearing elements are oak, the rest spruce and fir; some 200 m³ of round timber went into it. 4. 28 April 2012 ### The opening The tower opens to the public and soon becomes one of the landmarks of [Rožnov pod Radhoštěm](https://zpusteven.cz/en/roznov-pod-radhostem). Visit ## Plan your climb up the tower ### Where exactly it is #### Above the Wallachian Village The tower stands on **Karlův kopec** (480 m a.s.l.), right above the Wallachian Village at the Rožnov open-air museum. The last stretch to the tower is always on foot. ##### Open in maps [Mapy.com](https://mapy.com/en/zakladni?x=18.1588023&y=49.462385&z=17&source=coor&id=18.1588023,49.462385) · [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=49.462385,18.1588023) ##### Other places nearby [Valašský Slavín and the Church of Saint Anne](https://zpusteven.cz/en/valasske-muzeum-v-prirode/valassky-slavin) · [Villa Jaroněk](https://zpusteven.cz/en/jaronkova-vila) · [Rožnovská Bečva](https://zpusteven.cz/en/roznovska-becva) · [Rožnov park with its bandstand](https://zpusteven.cz/en/roznovsky-park) · [The Church of All Saints](https://zpusteven.cz/all-saints-church-roznov) · [Rysová](https://zpusteven.cz/en/rysova) · [The chimneys on the Tesla site](https://zpusteven.cz/en/kominy-tesla) · [The avenues on Hradisko](https://zpusteven.cz/en/aleje-na-hradisku) Map of the area ### What to know before you go #### Opening times **April** weekends and holidays 10 a.m.–4 p.m., **May–June** daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m., **July–August** daily 9 a.m.–6 p.m., **September–15 October** daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m., **16–31 October** weekends and holidays 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Last entry is 10 minutes before closing. Times can change, so check them before you set out. #### Admission Adults **CZK 40**, children aged 6–15, students and people over 65 **CZK 20**, family ticket **CZK 80**, children under 6 **free**. The tower is run by the town of Rožnov pod Radhoštěm. #### The way up from the museum From the car park at the **open-air museum** the walk goes over the wooden footbridge above the car park and on uphill along the **green waymarks**. It is about **30 minutes** to the tower. #### Straight from the Wallachian Village From **1 May to 30 September** you can also reach the tower from inside the **Wallachian Village**, at set times (morning and afternoon with a break at midday). During the summer holidays the way through is open every day; in May, June and September only at weekends. #### The climb and what to expect **102 steps** lead up to the platform (85 inside and 17 outside). The walk up is easy and children manage it. It is windier at the top than below. The longest views come in clear weather. ### How to get here #### On foot from the museum green waymarks · ~30 min ##### From Valašské muzeum v přírodě From the car park at the open-air museum over the **wooden footbridge** above it, then uphill along the **green waymarks** to the tower. The main and shortest way up. ##### Coming by car? Park at the museum and carry on from there on foot. On holidays and at weekends the car park tends to be full - come early. [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=Parkovi%C5%A1t%C4%9B%20Vala%C5%A1sk%C3%A9%20muzeum%20v%20p%C5%99%C3%ADrod%C4%9B%2C%20Ro%C5%BEnov%20pod%20Radho%C5%A1t%C4%9Bm) · [Waze](https://waze.com/ul?q=Parkovi%C5%A1t%C4%9B%20Vala%C5%A1sk%C3%A9%20muzeum%20v%20p%C5%99%C3%ADrod%C4%9B%2C%20Ro%C5%BEnov%20pod%20Radho%C5%A1t%C4%9Bm&navigate=yes) #### Through the park on the heritage trail the town park · a longer way ##### In the footsteps of Dušan Samo Jurkovič A **heritage trail** runs through the Rožnov park, linking the story of the spa era and ending at the tower. It turns the walk into a self-guided tour. [The trail through the park](https://zpusteven.cz/hiking/naucna-stezka-po-stopach-jurkovice) #### Straight from the Wallachian Village seasonally 1 May - 30 September ##### From the museum without going back down into town In season you can walk up to the tower **straight from the Wallachian Village** at set times - ideal if you are going round the museum anyway. Na závěr ## Doplňující info a test znalostí ### Rychlá rekapitulace **How tall is the Jurkovič lookout tower?** The tower measures 31.09 metres. The viewing platform is at 18.8 metres and 102 steps lead up to it (85 inside and 17 outside). **When is the tower open?** Seasonally from April to October. Daily in the main season, and in July and August until 6 p.m. - exact times can differ, so check them before you set out. **How much does it cost to go in?** Adults CZK 40, children aged 6–15, students and people over 65 CZK 20, family ticket CZK 80. Children under 6 go in free. **How do I get to the tower?** On foot from Valašské muzeum v přírodě - over the wooden footbridge above the car park and uphill along the green waymarks, about 30 minutes. In season you can also walk up straight from the Wallachian Village. **Why is the tower called Jurkovič's when it is so new?** It follows a sketch by the architect Dušan Samo Jurkovič from 1896. It was built more than a hundred years later - the detailed design documentation was worked up from the sketch by the architect Antonín Závada. Where next ## Where to go on from the tower [Jurkovič and the spa era: a trail through Rožnov park](https://zpusteven.cz/hiking/naucna-stezka-po-stopach-jurkovice) - The heritage trail through the Rožnov park · Three linked paths join the tower with the centre of Rožnov and recall the spa era and the architect whose name the tower carries. · Přejít na stránku → [Rožnov park with its bandstand](https://zpusteven.cz/en/roznovsky-park) - The pavilion in the middle of the Hájnice park · The trail from the tower leads here - the wooden bandstand is an exact copy of the 1884 building. · Přejít na stránku → [Rožnov pod Radhoštěm](https://zpusteven.cz/en/roznov-pod-radhostem) - The centre of Rožnov · The tower stands within sight of the town, and Rožnov is also the starting point for Radhošť and Pustevny. · Přejít na stránku → [Villa Jaroněk](https://zpusteven.cz/en/jaronkova-vila) - The house of the museum's founders · The Art Nouveau villa of the Jaroněk brothers, who founded Valašské muzeum v přírodě in Rožnov. · Přejít na stránku → --- Source: [The Jurkovič lookout tower in Rožnov: history and views](https://zpusteven.cz/en/jurkovicova-rozhledna) - zPusteven.cz. When citing, please link to the page.