Goethe's Lookout
{{Short description|Monument in the Czech Republic}}
{{use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox building
| name = Goethe's Lookout
Goethova vyhlídka
| image = Goethovarozhledna3.jpg
| caption = Goethe's Lookout in 2008
| location_country = Czech Republic
| location = Karlovy Vary
| coordinates = {{coord|50|13|26|N|12|54|12|E|display=inline,title}}
| address =
| completion_date = Late 19th century
| inauguration_date = 21 July 1889
| demolished =
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| architectural_style = Neo-Gothic
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| architect = Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer
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| client = Princess Stéphanie of Belgium
}}
Goethe's Lookout ({{langx|cs|Goethova vyhlídka}}) is a tower located in Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. It is considered an architectural folly and was built in the late 19th century.
History
File:00652-Karlsbad-1898-Stephaniewarte-Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag.jpg
File:25582-Karlsbad-1930-Stifterwarte-Brück & Sohn Kunstverlag.jpg
File:Karlovy Vary Goethova vyhlídka (5).jpg
The observation tower was built between 1888 and 1889 after Princess Stéphanie of Belgium, during a walk on the hill, expressed support for erecting a tower on the site as it was deemed suitable. Eduard Knoll, then mayor of the city, took the opportunity to follow through with the idea, which had already been expressed by the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The necessary design work was entrusted to architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer, and following the completion of construction, the opening ceremony of the building, then called the Princess Stephanie's Belvedere, took place on 21 July 1889. The site quickly became a popular destination for guests of the nearby spas, but the path was quite long and uphill, leading to plans for constructing a funicular to connect the hilltop with the spa center. Preparatory work began but was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I. In 2018, the building underwent significant restoration and was subsequently reopened to the public.{{cite web|url=https://pamatkovykatalog.cz/vyhlidka-johana-wolfganga-goetha-17842704|title=Vyhlídka Johana Wolfganga Goetha|publisher=National Heritage Institute|language=cs|access-date=21 July 2024}}{{cite web|url=http://prazdnedomy.cz/domy/objekty/detail/1449|title=Goethova vyhlídka|website=prazdnedomy.cz|language=cs|access-date=21 July 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://www.karlovyvary.cz/cs/rozhledna-goethova-vyhlidka|title=Rozhledna Goethova vyhlídka|website=karlovyvary.cz|date=17 January 2013 |language=cs|access-date=21 July 2024}}
= Origin of the name =
The tower was originally called Kronprinzessin-Stephanie-Warte or Princess Stephanie's Belvedere. After World War I, in honor of the writer Adalbert Stifter, the tower was renamed Stifter-Warte. Shortly after the end of World War II, it was called Stalinova rozhledna (or Stalin's Tower). During destalinization, this name was also abandoned, and in 1957, the current name was chosen, dedicating the building to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who had visited the Karlsbad spa several times for treatment.
Description
Goethe's Lookout is situated in an elevated position east of the city centre of Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. The building is in the neogothic style, featuring exposed brickwork. The cylindrical main structure with a bay window on the rocks above the main entrance with a crenellated portico is flanked by a tall, slender tower and two rectangular prismatic buildings with reinforced corners. The structure includes an observation tower and a dining room and is characterized by romantic and neogothic style elements. The location is 639 meters above sea level. Extensive modifications were made to the building in the late 1960s, which did not substantially alter the original architecture.
= Protection =
References
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Bibliography
{{commons category|Goethova vyhlídka|Goethe's Lookout}}
- {{cite book|title=Městečka na dlani: Karlovarský kraj: Bečov nad Teplou, Boží Dar, Horní Blatná, Chyše, Krásno, Přebuz, Valeč|author=Lubomír Zeman|publisher=Foibos Books|location=Prague|year=2017|language=cs|oclc=833406206}}