Děčínský Sněžník

The Děčínský Sněžník is a mountain in the Czech Republic and, at 722.8m above sea level, the highest peak in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. The Sněžník is located in the Jílové municipality, west of Děčín in the Ústí nad Labem Region, in the mountainous area of Bohemian Switzerland, close to the border with Germany.One of the first historical figures to visit Děčínský Sněžník was Emperor Joseph II of Habsburg, who climbed the peak in September 1779. The Sněžník was considered an important geodetic point for triangulation and cartographers asked the owner of the principality of Děčín, Prince Franz of Thun and Hohenstein, for permission to establish the peak as a triangulation point. Prince Franz contracted the Dresden architect, Karl Moritz Haenel, to design a stone observation tower. The construction of the Neo-gothic tower at the summit of the Sněžník began in 1863. A nearby fault line a source of building material. The tower was finished in autumn 1864 and was originally used by geodesists, but the view attracted many visitors and in 1865 the local forest administration decided to build a small hostelry for them.