The ridge of the Stráž mountain towers above Rokytnice. Its western end descends to the rushing waters of the Jizera river and continues eastwards along the Sachrův and Vlčí ridges to the mystical mountain Kotel. The Stráž mountain, or Strážník as the locals call it, was one of the places where signals were sent by fire when enemy armies invaded our lands. The smoke signal was then received by other patrols at Kozákov and sent deeper into Bohemia.

Today, fortunately, the fires on the surrounding hills are no longer burning. Rokytnice nad Jizerou has new guards. The town is watched over by four patrons from the coat of arms. Perched on top of the Strážník, they symbolize the four villages that combined to form the town of Rokytnice in ancient times – the Fox, the Bear, the Sheep and the Miner – The Guard Patrol.

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PHOTOS BY BoysPlayNice

PHOTOS BY BoysPlayNice

PHOTOS BY BoysPlayNice

PHOTOS BY BoysPlayNice

PHOTOS BY BoysPlayNice

The Guard Patrol project began in 2014, when we designed a series of small stops on the mountain above Rokytnice. It was conceived from the original intention of the municipality to build a classic lookout tower on the top. However, the morphology of the mountain proved unsuitable for the construction of an observation tower, as it did not provide sufficient views at standard heights. Therefore, we opted for the concept of several stops on the rocks that line the top of the mountain.

We were inspired by the figures in the town’s coat of arms to create light steel structures sheathed in wood. And so today the town is watched over by its four patrons – the Fox, the Bear, the Sheep and the Miner – our Guard Patrol. The lookouts feature steel structures consisting of smaller parts that could be transported to the site of the rock protrusions by human force. The steel structures are secured into the rocks with special steel anchors in drill holes up to 8 meters deep. The steel structures are sheathed with oak cladding. The handrail frames are made of black painted steel with stainless steel mesh.

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PHOTOS BY BoysPlayNice

PHOTOS BY BoysPlayNice

PHOTOS BY BoysPlayNice

PHOTOS BY BoysPlayNice