The Háj u Aše is the highest elevation in the Bohemian part of the Fichtelgebirge

Fichtelgebirge

The Fichtelgebirge is a mountain range in northeastern Bavaria, Germany. It extends from the valley of the Red Main River to the Czech border, a few foothills spilling over into the Czech Republic. It continues in a northeastern direction as the Ore Mountains, and in a southeastern direction as...

 mountains (Smrčiny). It is the local mountain of the town of Aš

Aš

Aš is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic.-History:Previously uninhabited hills and swamps, the town of Asch was founded in the early 11th century by German colonists. Slavic settlements in the area are not known. The dialect spoken in the town was that of the Upper Palatinate,...

 (Asch) in the Czech Republic

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

.

Location

The Háj rises immediately northeast of the town of Aš in the Bohemian Vogtland. Other settlements in the area Dolní Paseky

Dolní Paseky

Dolní Paseky is a village in Karlovy Vary Region, Czech Republic. It is one of the nine town districts of Aš. In 2001 the village had a population of 39.For most part, the village serves as a recreation area for whole Aš-region...

 (Niederreuth) and Podhradí (Neuberg) which belong to the borough of Aš. On the summit is a mountain inn with an observation tower.

History

On 19 June 1904 the 34 metre high stone observation tower on the summit was opened. It was designed by the Dresden architect, Wilhelm Kreis

Wilhelm Kreis

Wilhelm Kreis was a prominent German architect and professor of architecture, active through four political systems in German history: the Wilhelmine era, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, and the foundation of the Federal Republic.Kreis was born in Eltville am Rhein in Hesse-Nassau...

. The tower still stands and is one of the three Bismarck towers

Bismarck monuments

From 1868 onwards, Bismarck monuments were erected in many parts of the German Empire in honour of the long-serving Prussian minister-president and first German Reichskanzler, Prince Otto von Bismarck...

 on the territory of the Czech Republic.

Views

From the tower there are good views over the Fichtelgebirge, Elstergebirge

Elstergebirge

The Elstergebirge is a small range of hills, in Saxony and the Czech Republic, on the west of the Ore Mountains. They lie in a region known as Vogtland, and take their name from the River Elster, or more precisely the White Elster which has its source in these hills, near the Czech town of Aš.The...

 and Ore Mountains.

Paths to the summit

• Departure points for a visit of the mountain are the town of Aš and the village of Podhradí. A blue signed walking trail joins both locations, running over the summit of the mountain.

External links

• Description of the Bismarck Tower (Czech)