Rudný, a hill called Schatzberg in German (which can be translated as treasure mountain), is located about 4.5 km north of the city centre. In the Middle Ages, silver was mined in its environs, which made Jihlava incredibly rich in the 13th century. From the mid-19th century, Šacberk was frequented by German inhabitants of Jihlava, who were enticed by romantic walks in the beautiful countryside that offered a tinge of mysterious, ancient silver mining history. As early as 1854, a lookout tower was built at the top of the hill. The place grew in popularity especially among the middle and upper classes of Jihlava’s Germans. The municipality of Walddörfel (now Lesnov, a part of Jihlava), which was situated there, became a popular resort. Summer villas and houses, many with wooden verandas, robust stone bases and half-timbering, and occasionally with turrets, were built in the spirit of romantic historicism at the southern foot of Šacberk.
Theodor Tomaschek, a retired provincial court councillor and official of Jihlava cultural association, was one of the first to acquire a villa there. His villa, designed by the builder Franz Lang, was purchased by Karl Ehrenhöfer, the owner of the Jihlava Grandhotel, in 1907. Later on, he built the Tivoli guest house there. He gradually expanded it by adding three other buildings with a total capacity of 30 rooms, a spacious dining area and an outdoor seating area under mature trees. The site was complemented by a tennis court, a garden and garages. Tivoli on Šacberk was in operation until the end of the Second World War, serving as a popular centre for the resort.
The main Tivoli building has been preserved on a largely similar floor plan to this day, at Pod Rozhlednou 8, no. 3447. The other Tivoli buildings are no longer standing today, nor is the adjacent Brink’s villa (Pod Rozhlednou 6), which was designed and built in 1905 by the Jihlava builder Vinzenz Zeizinger for his wife Albine. However, three years later, he sold it to Antonie Brinková, wife of Jihlava’s renowned tailor August Brink. Zeizinger built another villa for his family five years later, a bit further away from Lesnov, closer to the town. However, he sold this house three years later, too. The subsequent owners were, among others, Wilhelm and Theodor Budischowsky, co-owners of a tannery. This summer villa with an obliquely adjacent turret has been preserved to this day, creating a solitary landmark in the landscape (Smrčenská 111, no. 3421).
When walking down Pod Rozhlednou Street, we can uncover traces of other summer villas in more or less adjusted forms. The easiest to recognise is the Karola villa by the Jihlava builder Ignaz Lang from 1906. Lang named it after his eldest daughter, whose name is still inscribed on the façade today (Pod Rozhlednou 19, no. 3440). This three-storey house of course also features a turret and wooden veranda. Most local villas were characterised by segmented façades, alternation of exposed stone brick and plastered or half-timbered areas, wooden verandas, balconies and window shutters with carved wood décor, and, last but not least, by their verticality given by the fact that they should offer a good view of the landscape.
The exact appearance of the first lookout tower from 1854 is not known. Even though there were two designs for it, it was probably not built according to the plan. It was built on the decision of the City Council, headed by Mayor Peter Ernst Leupold von Löwenthal, and cost 400 guldens. It had a stone brick base and an upstairs ballroom. This was probably followed by a four-storey wooden turret with observation galleries. From 1865, refreshments were provided there by Alois Geibler. It was the very first lookout tower in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands (Českomoravská vrchovina). However, it collapsed in 1870 in a gale.
Another lookout tower was built on the initiative of the Jihlava cultural association. In 1895, the association applied to the City Council for a building permit. However, the preparations dragged on, and the new lookout tower was not built until 1907 on the same site according to the design by the city builder Kajetán Malnati. We now know what it looked like – an octagonal wooden tower with a gallery, rising to a height of 27.7 metres. It was covered by a cone roof and built on a solid base of Cyclopean masonry with a diameter of 6.5 metres. The construction cost 5,600 crowns. Its inauguration on 1st of September 1907 was accompanied by exuberant celebrations and a large procession of people from Jihlava, led by councillors and Mayor Vinzenz Inderka. The celebration was also attended by the shooting, singing and dancing clubs from Jihlava.
The Germans considered the lookout tower a symbol of their Jihlava language island. They even dubbed it the guard tower. However, it burnt down on 1st of October 1940, and only ruins of the stone base remain today.
Even though the fame of Jihlava’s Tivoli is now long gone, the site still has plenty to offer as an area for trips. In the winter months, its attractions include the ski slope, which starts on the north side of Rudný Hill, at the ruins of the lookout tower. In summer, the place is notable for the mining trail with a number of remains reminding us of the history of silver mining. A walk to see the surviving summer villas is a lovely experience, too. Last but not least, on the south side of the hill, Jihlava crematorium is worth seeing.
JL