The impetus for the construction of the observation tower on Hája in the interwar period was given by the Šumper branch of the Club of Czechoslovak Tourists and the soldiers of the local garrison, from whose ranks a committee was formed to solve construction and financial issues. Preparatory work began in 1933. In an atmosphere of tense nationalism between the German and Czech publics, the name Štefánik Lookout was proposed and was also generally accepted. It was officially opened on June 17, 1934. After Munich, the lookout tower fell into the hands of the Germans, who used it only for themselves. Towards the end of the war, it was used as an anti-aircraft observation post.
After the liberation, the building was taken over by the Šumper branch of the KČST, which resumed its activities in 1945. Due to damage to the lookout tower's equipment during the war and because the lightning rod was not repaired in time, the lookout tower was struck by lightning in 1953 and burned down. The restoration of the lookout tower on the Hája was already talked about in the 1970s. A number of enthusiasts from the tourism department of the then ČSTV, led by the sign maker Josef Janků, proposed the construction of a new lookout tower, and numerous studies of its appearance were prepared. However, the construction did not take place in the end.
The construction of an observation tower was not considered again until the 1990s. It was made possible by pooling the resources of the municipalities whose cadastre the Háj is located in, i.e. Šumperka, Bludova and Rudy nad Moravou, with a significant share of the Eurotel company. The authors of the project Ing. Vladimír Malaska and Ivo Barvíř created a modern building that faithfully resembles the original observation tower from 30 years ago. The pleasant interior of the lookout tower is completed by children's drawings and photographic and map decoration. The observation tower was officially opened on 28 September 1997 and once again became an important tourist destination. In the top book, we can find many satisfied responses not only from visitors from the Czech Republic and European countries, but also from overseas.
Translated by Google •
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