The construction of the highest lookout tower in Moravia will be decided by a municipal referendum

Velenov (Blanensko) - In Velenov in the Blanensko region, the European elections will be combined with a municipal referendum, in which the residents will decide whether the highest observation tower in Moravia will be built above the village. The construction of a 65-meter-high tower, working title Velenka, is projected to cost 20 million crowns. However, the residents of the village do not have a unified opinion on this project, said Jan Havelka, the mayor of Velenov, who supports the construction, to ČTK today.
    "It is up to the citizens to say whether they want it or not. About a third of our 220 residents requested the referendum. Some of them were concerned about the village going into debt because of the project," he stated. In order for the referendum result to be valid, at least 30 percent of eligible voters who are residents of the village must participate. The elections, combined with the referendum in Velenov, will take place on May 23 and 24.
    The construction of the tower, from which Vienna, 140 kilometers away, would be visible in good weather, is expected to cost 20 million crowns. The municipal office has 15 million from the sale of municipal forest land. The remaining funds will be sought from grants, likely applying for contributions from the EU.
    The plan arose after Velenov sold the forests it had in the Central Moravian Forest Cooperative Niva. This was done because there was a threat that a private company would become the majority shareholder, and the village would thus have limited ability to co-decide about the cooperative.
    From the sale of the forests, the municipal office obtained nearly 15 million crowns. Annually, they yielded 140,000 crowns. Velenov's goal after the sale was to invest the received money to generate profit.
    The councilors decided on the tower's construction. They expect that it could attract 10,000 tourists annually, which would mean an annual income of 200,000 crowns with an entrance fee of 20 crowns. Velenov is located in a region that attracts 20,000 tourists every season. The nearby Moravian Karst welcomes around 400,000 visitors each year.
    The tower will include a restaurant, which would bring additional profit. The municipality owns seven hectares of forest around the planned construction site.