There should be a lookout tower near Litomyšl made from two decommissioned shipping containers.

Litomyšl - Above Litomyšl, in a place called Rasovna, an unusual lookout tower should be built by the path to Kornice. The architects have proposed to construct it from two decommissioned shipping containers. According to the authors, these reflect and symbolize globalization, said Mayor Daniel Brýdl (Generace 89) to ČTK.

"The container will eventually stop working, and they said: Let's reuse it, utilize it, so it doesn't get destroyed, but can have a new purpose," Brýdl stated.

Architects from the Olomouc company atelier-r have proposed to create the lookout tower from two containers. One is placed horizontally, and its floor rises slightly so that strollers and wheelchairs can pass through; it connects to a second container that is positioned vertically. An steel staircase leads through its interior to a platform at a height of 12 meters. On it, there will be a resting bench and also an elevated viewpoint facing north. The location of the lookout tower will allow views of the city’s towers and spires.

Brýdl estimates the construction costs at nearly one million crowns, and the city wants to obtain half of this amount from a subsidy. Construction is expected to begin next year. "By the end of January, we should have the documentation ready for the building permit," said Antonín Dokoupil, the head of the city development department.

The lookout is part of the city’s long-term plan called Goals of Paths. Each year, the city hall invites a top architect, for example, a winner of national architectural competitions, to design a smaller and relatively inexpensive structure at their discretion within walking distance around the city. The cost should not exceed half a million crowns. "Litomyšl does not have many forests and great nature nearby, rather fields and meadows. People do not have many options to go for a walk. One studio has already come up with a small shelter by a fishpond, and it is currently being made," said Brýdl. The city has identified about ten locations, but architects may also choose other places.