| Ještěd | |
|---|---|
| Jeschken | |
| Elevation | 1,012 m (3,320 ft) |
| Location | |
| Location | Czech Republic |
Ještěd (Czech pronunciation: [ˈjɛʃcɛt]; German: Jeschken) is the highest mountain peak (1,012 meter) of the Ještěd-Kozákov Ridge near Liberec in the north of the Czech Republic. From the summit there are views into Germany and Poland. The Horní Hanychov region of Liberec is just under the mountain.
On the summit is the Ještěd Tower restaurant, hotel and television tower, designed by Karel Hubáček,[1] reachable by road or cable car (Ještěd Cable car). The mountain also has a ski resort.
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The origin of the mountain's name is uncertain, it is probably from the term Ash mountain, a once dominant tree species in the area. The Czech name for the mountain was first recorded in 1545 as Jesstied (pod horou Jesstiedem). The German form of the name, Jeschke, was first mentioned in 1565.
As early as 1838 the summit hosted a crude stone that serves as a landmark to this day. The first hut on the summit was already erected in 1844.
In the 1860s, the mountain ridge was Station No. 4 of the first order of the Royal Saxon triangulation. For this reason a measuring station was built on the summit.
In 1906, the Mountain Club, a mountain hotel, was built. The cable car Jeschke Horní Hanychov the summit was opened in 1933.
On 23 August 1940, at midnight, a Heinkel He 111 from the Second Squadron, Lions Squadron (German: Löwengeschwader), of Lüneburg crashed into the mountain near the summit and ripped a long path in the woods. This accident killed four passengers.
The old mountain hotel burned from 1963.
Between 1966 and 1973, a futuristic hotel, with a 100 meter-high television tower, was built that was designed by the architect Karel Hubacek. For the construction of the TV tower Hubacek was awarded the Auguste Perret Prize. The modern building acts as a lookout tower, transmission tower, hotel and restaurant.
In 2009, a portion of the competitions Nordic World Ski Championships take place on Ještěd.
In Jested there is two ski jumping hills, The World Championships 2009 was hosted there. The K-134 and the K-90. Roman Koudelka has the hill record in the K-134, with 143 metres. Anssi Koivuranta have jumped 106,5 metres in the K-90 and that is hill record in that hill.