Promnitz Lookout Tower, Żary

Above the entrance to the stone-and-brick tower in Żary's Zielony Las (Green Forest) hangs a German plaque pieced together from seven fragments found around the building. It records that the tower was built in 1864 on the initiative of the Town Beautification Society. Today, after restoration by the State Forests, 86 metal steps lead to the terrace, and on a clear day you can see Śnieżka – the highest peak of the Karkonosze (Giant Mountains), more than a hundred kilometres away.

History: a tower like a little fort

Zielony Las was once Żary's parkland. In the 18th century Erdmann II von Promnitz, lord of Żary, had a palace and park complex built here – which is where the tower's popular name comes from. The tower itself, however, was only built in the 19th century by the Town Beautification Society. Its chairman, J.H. von François, had army connections, so the tower was given a military look: it resembles a blockhouse, and the viewing terrace is styled like a fortress parapet.

It was built of glacial boulders and bricks from a nearby brickworks – hence its other names, the "red" or "brick" tower, sometimes also the hunting tower. After the war the building decayed and the original stone stairs were destroyed. In 2015–2016 the Lipinki Forest District secured the walls, installed metal stairs and recreated the terrace; the work cost PLN 240,000, and the tower reopened on 31 March 2016.

What to see

• The viewing terrace – a panorama of the forests of southern Lubusz province and, in good weather, the Karkonosze with Śnieżka.
• The foundation plaque above the entrance, reassembled from seven pieces.
• Walls of glacial boulders with brick corners – the forest district gives the height as about 16 m (other sources say 15 m), on a square plan almost 5 m across.
• Information boards on the tower's history in Polish and German – it is one stop on a nature trail.

The three towers of Zielony Las

Two more towers stand in the same forest. The stone Bismarck Tower was meant to be 42 m high, but wars and lack of money meant it was never finished; next to it, look for the memorial to former forester Ebert and the remains of a stone circle where walkers once gathered to sing folk songs. The tallest, the 32-metre steel fire lookout tower, is used by a forest district observer watching for smoke over the woods.

Tripto tip

The tower is open daily from morning to evening and locked at night; entry is free. Allow 1–1.5 hours for the walk from the car park, the climb and the return. The forest district provides car parks on the road from Żary to Łaz (by the nature trail, with tables and benches) and at the forest entrance near the "Syrena" stadium. For Śnieżka, pick a clear, cool day – at the tower's reopening in 2016 the mountains were not visible.