Tourism Spindleruv Mlyn

Journey to the Elbe Spring

Vítkovice Parking Horní Mísečky - Vítkovice Parking Horní Mísečky The countryside along this route is full of testimony of the turbulent development of the alpine nature, but also about the tough efforts of people to use the rugged mountain nature for their benefit. The beginning of the route is on the enclave of Horní Míseček, whose settlement, probably related to ore mining, is mentioned in the 17th century (1642).

Today it is a well-known sports center for downhill and cross-country skiing. After the slopes of Medvědina and Krkonoše we can climb up to 1400 m above sea level towards Vrbatova bouda. We can choose from three routes - a yellow or red marked tourist path or a comfortable Masaryk Mountain Road, whose present appearance was created before the Second World War in connection with the building of military defenses on the ridges of the Giant Mountains. The then troubled history of the Premyslid Republic is reminiscent of "buckets" - small concrete bunkers scattered not only on the ridges of the Giant Mountains but also on the neighboring Orlické, Jizerské and Ore Mountains.
The small stone mound on the way between Vrbatova Bouda and Pančavský Waterfall reminds the venue of the sport tragedy of 1913, when the Czech skier Bohumil Hanč and his friend Vaclav Vrbata died in the snow blizzard during the races. From the path to the Pančavský Waterfall you can discover the beautiful panorama of the plateau of Pančavská and Labská meadow with pebbled peat bogs. Unfortunately, there is also a view of the controversial concrete column of the new Labská bouda, built after the fire of the original cottage from 1830. Before crossing Pančavu, one of the largest right-hand tributaries in the upper river Elbe, is worth a changed flora along the path passing through the sloping spring. Bifurcates of the Austrian yellow bloom are bloomed, the bloom is violet, blue-violet is a perennial violet or a perennial scent, rarely we see the orchid plant of the wetland.

If we come to Pančava in utter silence, we can see trout similar to that of the American Gray, which was planted here at the beginning of the century and resisted through the heavy acidification of the water today, unlike the Trout Trout, which disappeared from most of the mountain streams. The Pančava waterfall, falling into the 200-meter deep pit of the Pančava Pit, was not an obstacle to the salmon, and so he got into the Elbe meadows at the bottom of the pit. The steep rocky slopes of Labské jam (Harrachov, Pančavská and Navorská) are a wonderful example of the cubic decay of the granite, which is the dominant rock here, unlike the Krkonoše ridge, where the slopes and fyliths prevail. Note that in the return journey, the stone seas, the remains of the frosty weathering of the Krkonoše ridges in the middle of the afternoon, are in the vicinity of the Golden Hill (small ridge) made up of smaller and sharpest debris, unlike the rounded granite boulders on the slopes of High Kola (Silesian ridge) . But they have one thing in common. On their surface we can find a varied gallery of pioneers for the settlement of rocks and scree - lichens. After a short walk from the Pančavský Waterfall, do not forget to turn to Ambrož's viewpoint, a place named after one of the pioneers of the protection of Krkonoše nature. The unforgettable panorama of Labské jam and Labský mine opens before you. Once upon a time here, a glacier of the 70 m high, shaped the deep slopes and the bottom of the jam, and the almost four kilometer glacier splashed the Elbe mine into the characteristic U shape, unlike the opposite White Elbe Valley in the eastern Krkonoše, whose V-shaped shape reveals "only" river modeling.

On the slopes of the Pančava Pit underneath lies the Schustler's Garden, a place with the richest floral Czech side of the Krkonoše, named in honor of a significant Krkonoše researcher prof. Schustler, who already in 1923 formulated the first proposal to declare the Krkonose Mountains National Park. The path along the edge of the Labské jam is accessible only in summer and autumn. In the winter season, it is necessary to use somewhat higher up-to-date winter rocky paths within easy reach of the massive snow overhangs and the steep slopes of the Labská jam. On both roads we reach the Labská bouda where the red marker turns to the SS and after about 1 kilometer leads us to the spring of the Elbe. It is also possible to use the yellow marked Horse route to the state border with Poland, and after exploring the nearly 300 m deep slopes of the Snowmounting Jet and the nearby Vrchol Violik, you can once again reach the Elbe spring after the yellow mark. The symbolic treatment of the spring is complemented by the mosaics of the coats of the larger cities, through which the Elbe flows through its almost 1,200 km of pilgrimages to the North Sea. A rich history is linked to the Elbe spring, as it has led a significant trade salt path, the so-called Czech Trail connecting Bohemia and Silesia. In 1684, the Elbe Spring was consecrated in dramatic circumstances, and only recently its exact altitude was set at 1386.3 m above sea level. From the source of the Elbe, the yellow mark leads south in the direction of the intersection of the roads to Harrachov and Horní Rokytnice. Its name at The Four Lords reminds of the violent property disputes that were there between the Bohemian and Silesian nobles in the 16th and 17th centuries. To return In Horní Mísečky you can choose either a shorter way to Vrbatova bouda and further down the Giant Mountains or the green and yellow mark to the edge of the Kotelní jam and the red mark around the prominent rock outcrop of Harrachové stones and back to the Masaryk Mountain Road in Horní Mísečky. A view of the pair of glacier rocks of the Boiler Jams leading through the Krakonoš path, and in good weather the views of the Bohemian Basin end up our journey along the ridges of the western Krkonoše Mountains.

Length: 14 km Vertical rise: 345 m Maximum height: 1386 m Minimum height: 1040 m

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