As long ago as 1904, it was deemed necessary to build a covered shelter for visitors and hikers. To minimize costs, a simple timber-framed and wood-tiled ‘veranda’ was built. Unfortunately, this structure was destroyed by a spring storm in 1907, when powerful winds carried it away and scattered its debris all over the hillside.

The members of the local hikers’ club were determined that they would not be defeated by the elements, and so the Ostrava architect Josef Pokorný – working free of charge – took just three months to draw up plans for a new shelter, also to be made of wood. The building took a further three months to complete, with the architect supervising a team of workers from the Kopřivnice railway works (who were on strike at the time). The structure cost one thousand gulden, and was named the ‘Mědínek’ shelter after an inn frequented by the Czech Renaissance writer Mikuláš Dačický of Heslov, who led a very colourful life and was a popular, almost legendary figure.

As tourist numbers grew, the old shelter – damaged by exposure to the elements, and in a poor state of repair – was no longer adequate for their needs. In 1924, the local branch of the hiking club decided to renovate the shelter during the winter months, extending it and installing furniture. The new building, designed by the painter Bohumír Jaroňek in a style inspired by local folk art and crafts, was opened to the public in 1925.

Source: Aleš Durčák and Josef Adamec