Strážný Hill is a quiet, lesser-known summit near the village of Pertoltice pod Ralskem, carrying a curious Cold War past — until 1990 it was off-limits to the public, home to a Soviet military radar base. Today it's a peaceful spot for hikers looking to escape the crowds.

Geologically, the hill is a volcanic neck formed of subvolcanic basaltoid breccia and melilite, wrapped in hardened Upper Cretaceous limestone sediments topped with loess. From the plateau side, connecting to the highland between Mimoň, Pertoltice pod Ralskem and Bohatice, it looks rather unremarkable. But viewed from Pertoltice pod Ralskem or the Mimoň IV district, its distinct dome shape stands out nicely. The slopes are covered with deciduous woodland interspersed with fields, meadows and scattered shrubs — a lovely sight especially in autumn colors.

• Pertoltice pod Ralskem (trail junction, blue-marked trail) — from here a yellow trail leads to the local railway station, easy walking
• From the railway stop (end of the yellow trail), a field track leads north or west in a loop up to the summit — no marked trail to the top itself

• No official hiking trail reaches the very summit — access is via an unmarked field track
• Until 1990 the hill was closed to the public due to a Soviet Army radar installation

It's hard to imagine today, standing among the fields and orchards, that this modest hill once played a role in Cold War military surveillance.