Ještěd

The Ještěd ( German ridge) is 1,012 m, the highest elevation in the Jeschke Mountains in northern Bohemia (Czech Republic). He is the mountain of Liberec.

Origin of the name

The origin of the name is uncertain, probably derives the name of Mountain Ash, after the once- dominant tree species here, from. In Czech, the name is first detected as Jesstied ( pod horou Jesstiedem ) in 1545. The German form Jeschke Berg is mentioned for the first time in 1565.

Location

The Ještěd is located immediately southwest of Liberec. Right at the foot of the mountain district of Horni Hanychov is ( Oberhanichen ) and the community Svetla pod Ještědem ( Svetla ).

There is a series of ski lifts and slopes for alpine skiing on the slopes of Ještěd ridge. Also known are the Ještěd ski jumps. On the big K120 - conditioning, international ski jumping competitions are held regularly. On Ještěd there is also a bike park with five runs of varying lengths and levels of difficulty, which are partly used or crossed the ski runs.

History

In 1838 was built on top of the still existing crude stone, which served as a landmark at the same time. A first hut on the summit already existed in 1844.

When station No. 4 ridge of the mountain was a station first order of royal Saxon triangulation in the 1860s. For this reason, a survey station was built on the summit.

In 1906 was built by the German Mountain Club of the ridge and Jizera Mountains, a mountain hotel, for which debentures were issued. The Jeschke cable car to the summit of Horni Hanychov was opened in 1933.

On August 23, 1940 at midnight hit an aircraft of the type Heinkel He 111 of II Battle Squadron ( Lions Squadron ) in Lüneburg against the mountain near the summit and ripped a long path in the forest. In this accident, the four occupants died.

The old mountain hotel burned down on 31 January 1963.

Between 1966 and 1973, a futuristic hotel was built with a 100 meter-high television tower designed by the architect Karel Hubacek. For the construction of the television tower Ještěd Karel Hubacek was awarded the Auguste Perret Prize. The modern building acts as a lookout tower, transmission tower, hotel and restaurant. Currently running efforts of Liberec Liberec and the circle to include this building in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

In 2009, a part of the competitions of the Nordic World Ski Championships was held on Ještěd.

Way to the summit

• From Horni Hanychov ( Oberhanichen ), a district of Liberec, operates a cable car to the summit.
• From the pass Výpřež ( On the instep), a narrow paved road to the mountain. A driveway with a private vehicle is possible. It is to pay a parking fee.
• Hikers can take a variety of marked hiking trails to the summit. Best starting point is the end point of the Liberec tram line 3 in Horni Hanychov.
• Over the hill run red marks of the European long-distance hiking trail E3 and the mountain hiking Eisenach- Budapest.

Hundreds Competition

The "hundreds Competition " is an unusual race on the Ještěd. It's about climbing to the top within the shortest time a hundred times and achieve beyond the badge for a thousand and five thousand ascents. As an award, there was the " centennial " badges and the half-liter glass with your name and the number of completed hundreds of ascents in the taproom Jested.

From 2000, the tradition took you back to new.

Noteworthy records

• The Reichenberger Adolf Trenkler used the daily march on the mountain as slimming, peaking in 1900, the impressive number of 2000 ascents.
• In the course of 1937, Lilly Flassak reach a total of 709 ascents.
• Frieda Mandelik reached to 1937 the absolute proven record with 5,000 ascents.
• In 1922, the Mountaineers Rudolf Kauschka managed together with other twelve climbs in a single day.