Praděd (; german: Altvater; pl, Pradziad; literally " great grandfather") () is the highest mountain of the

Hrubý Jeseník Hrubý Jeseník (, , ) is a mountain range of Eastern Sudetes in northern Moravia and Czech Silesia. It is the second highest mountain range in the Czech Republic. Its best known natural sights include: *Praděd, its highest mountain *A powerf ...

mountains,

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The ...

Czech Silesia Czech Silesia (, also , ; cs, České Slezsko; szl, Czeski Ślōnsk; sli, Tschechisch-Schläsing; german: Tschechisch-Schlesien; pl, Śląsk Czeski) is the part of the historical region of Silesia now in the Czech Republic. Czech Silesia is, ...

and

Upper Silesia Upper Silesia ( pl, Górny Śląsk; szl, Gůrny Ślůnsk, Gōrny Ślōnsk; cs, Horní Slezsko; german: Oberschlesien; Silesian German: ; la, Silesia Superior) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia, locate ...

and is the fifth-highest mountain of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. The highest point of Moravia is located near the summit of Praděd; but the summit itself is in

. The average annual temperature is about . A television transmitter is situated on the top, high. The upper platform is used as a watchtower. The mountain is also a popular area for

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

History

The first building on the mountain was a stone watchtower, high. It was built in 1903–1912 by the

Sudeten German German Bohemians (german: Deutschböhmen und Deutschmährer, i.e. German Bohemians and German Moravians), later known as Sudeten Germans, were ethnic Germans living in the Czech lands of the Bohemian Crown, which later became an integral part o ...

tourist association. After 1945, the tourist association no longer existed because all Germans were expelled. Due to its unmaintained condition in communist

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

, with water freezing in cracks breaking it up, the watchtower collapsed 2 May 1959 shortly before it was supposed to get fixed. The ''Petrovy kameny'' ("Peter's stones") is a

gneiss Gneiss ( ) is a common and widely distributed type of metamorphic rock. It is formed by high-temperature and high-pressure metamorphic processes acting on formations composed of igneous or sedimentary rocks. Gneiss forms at higher temperatures a ...

stone formation near the peak. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, people feared the place, believing

witch Witchcraft traditionally means the use of Magic (supernatural), magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In Middle Ages, medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually ...

es lived there. The area is home to many rare plants, so it is not open to the public. Praděd, stavba televizního vysílače

The transmitter was built between 1968 and 1983. A restaurant is located in the building and can be reached by a paved road. The

High Tatras The High Tatras or High Tatra Mountains ( Slovak: Vysoké Tatry; pl, Tatry Wysokie; rue, Высокі Татри,'' Vysoki Tatry''; hu, Magas-Tátra; german: Hohe Tatra; french: Hautes Tatras), are a mountain range along the border of norther ...

Malá Fatra Malá Fatra (; also Little Fatra or Lesser Fatra, pl, Mała Fatra, hu, Kis-Fátra) is a mountain range in the Western Carpathians in the north-west of Central Slovakia. In the geomorphological system, it is a part of the Fatra-Tatra Area.Craig ...

Mts. and

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

can be seen from the watchtower platform.

Protection of nature

Praděd lies in the Jeseníky Protected Landscape Area. The area of the peak and its surroundings is also specially protected as the Praděd National Nature Reserve.

1950 air accident

On 27 February 1950 at 07:31 Československé státní aerolinie Douglas C-47A-15-DK on its way from

Ostrava Ostrava (; pl, Ostrawa; german: Ostrau ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic, and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 280,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four riv ...

-Hrabůvka Airport to Prague Ruzyně Airport crashed into the side of Praděd mountain, killing 3 crew and 3 passengers. 25 others, including 21 passengers and 4 crew survived the accident.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Praded Mountains and hills of the Czech Republic Ski areas and resorts in the Czech Republic