Praděd

Praděd (German: Altvater, Polish: Pradziad) is a 1,491-metre peak in the Hrubý Jeseník range and its highest point. It is the highest mountain in Moravia, Czech Silesia and Upper Silesia, and overall the fifth-highest peak in the Czech Republic — moreover one of the most prominent and most isolated, making it a truly exceptional destination.

On the Silesian part of the summit stands a television transmitter with a lookout tower, 146.5 metres tall (162 m until 1993), whose upper platform is the highest point in the Czech Republic, albeit an artificial one. The view from the tower is the main draw: on a clear day, a vast panorama of the Jeseníky ridges opens up from here. The summit building with a restaurant carries the registration number 38 in the cadastre of the village of Malá Morávka in the Bruntál district.

Praděd is remarkable also for its nature and climate. It has the harshest climate in the range — the average annual temperature does not exceed 1°C, something to bear in mind for gear year-round. On the northern slope lies the extensive frost-shattered escarpment of Tabulové skály with unique flora. In 2025, a meteorological station of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute was re-established at the western viewpoint, having previously operated there from 1954 to 1997.

The historical land border between Moravia and Silesia runs across the summit, as does the boundary between the Moravian-Silesian and Olomouc regions — the highest point of Moravia thus lies about 50 metres from the actual summit. Thanks to its location, Praděd is an excellent starting point for hiking the Jeseníky Mountains and nearby resorts such as Ovčárna. If you want to enjoy the ascent without rushing and combine it with exploring the surroundings, it's worth staying overnight in one of the foothill villages and heading out for the views early in the morning.