Ten years ago, the lookout tower on Velký Kosíř was opened.

Prague - A new tourist lookout tower was opened 10 years ago, on June 22, 2013, at Velký Kosíř near Slatinky in the Prostějov region. The highest Haná hill (441 meters above sea level) offers visitors a view of the flatlands of Haná, the Drahanská Highlands, the Bouzov Hills, and the silhouette of the Low Jeseník after climbing 158 steps to the 28-meter-high tower. The construction of the lookout tower cost 6.5 million crowns, and its author is the Moravian architect Svatopluk Sládeček.

The tower has a stone base with facilities, and its tube is wooden. The wooden structure is complemented by steel elements, and the staircase is covered by a roof. The viewing platform is located at a height of 25 meters. Next to the lookout tower is a wooden shelter with a fireplace.

The lookout tower was located at Velký Kosíř from 1927 to 1939, but it had to be removed due to poor technical condition. The Olomouc region contributed to the tower, while the remaining amount was shared by the municipalities of the microregion, and a public collection was also announced.

In February 2017, however, the lookout tower had to be closed due to identified defects in the staircase construction. Representatives of the Kosířsko microregion discovered the first deficiencies related to the slope of the terraces shortly after the ceremonial opening; later, defects in the staircase construction were also identified, which could not be claimed. The construction company that built the tower installed a support for the wooden staircase, which wraps around the structure, at its own expense. After repairs, the lookout tower was reopened in the summer of 2018.

Velký Kosíř is a dominant feature of the Haná plain, located between the towns of Kostelec na Hané, Čechy pod Kosířem, and Slatinice. It is surrounded by many myths. In 1990, the Velký Kosíř Nature Park was established.