Bobovec Lookout Tower
Kysuce
Mount Bobovec gets its name from the broad bean (bôb), which was a very widespread food source in the Kysuce region in the past. It towers over Stará Bystrica, and since 2011, its peak has been adorned with a beautiful 16-meter-tall wooden-stone lookout tower. It is situated on the cadastral border of the villages of Stará Bystrica and Radôstka.
The tower offers a good view of the Malá Fatra Mountains, Martinské Hole, Veľká Rača, and Lysá Hora in the Czech Republic. If you decide to continue further from the lookout tower along the Nocľahy ridge in an easterly direction, you will reach the village of Nová Bystrica, which is famous for its beautiful open-air museum and historical logging switchback railway. You can also visit the manor farm in the Skríželné valley, which appears in the records from the judicial interrogation of the legendary outlaw Juraj Jánošík.
How do I get there?
You can reach the lookout tower on Mount Bobovec from the Slovak Astronomical Clock at Rínok sv. Michala (St. Michael's Square) in Stará Bystrica. An easy, yellow-marked tourist trail with an elevation gain of 220 m leads to it (2 km, 1:00 h).You can also reach the lookout tower via a second route that leads past the Slezákovci chapel and from there through Nocľahy to the tower. However, this route is longer and suitable for bicycles (4.6 km, 1:45 h).
Parking
You can use the parking lot in the center of the village or near the Slezákovci snack bar.Galéria
