West

Boušín (378 metres ASL)

A hamlet, situated on a spit above the Úpa river has very long history. It was founded by Bohuš Kladský in the second half of the 13th century. In 1350, the Boušín church, mentioned as a parish one, was destroyed in the Hussite period. In 1434, a new wooden church sacrificed to the Holy Virgin, was built by the Lord Litobořský from Chlum with his site in Turyně as a thanksgiving for his deaf-mute daughter`s miraculous recovery. P. Myslimír Ludvík, the first chronicler of the Náchod region, mentions this information in his reminiscences as unconfirmed. Nevertheless, a Marian tradition originated in Boušín that year and the village became a Marian pilgrimage place. The church, built by the Lord of Turyně was partly destroyed during the 30-year war and the whole surroundings ran wild. A brick baroque church, which dominates this beautiful place, was built by the prince Vavřinec Piccolomini in the years 1682 – 92 and stands here unchanged till this time. For its beautiful location, magnificent surroundings hidden in the middle of a deep forest, quite place with a fountain, a restful cemetery, and romantic rural church, Boušín became a place sought after by tourists, many wanderers as well as people from farther vicinity, going there for their Sunday walks. Our famous writer Božena Němcová, who spent her childhood in near Ratibořice, mentions Boušín in her idyllic book “Grannie“. Alois Jirásek, a Hronov native, fancied the Boušín hamlet and an action of the first volume of his chronicle U nás (In our country) takes place right here – to the Boušín presbytery. Some of his characters are well known: P. Ondrášek, a Jew Justyna, teacher Šolta, a typical character – Doubenus and Miss Aninka. To Boušín, there goes a green tourist path from Červený Kostelec through Stolín and a picturesque valley called V potůčkách (In the brooks). The Boušín bridge leads tourists to the right bank of the Úpa river to the Grannie`s valley national natural monument (a crossing with a red marked tourist path through the valley) and through a forest to a spit above the river. From Boušín, there is a tourist path going to Litoboř and joins a blue one in the direction of Hořičky. For making trips to hills and forests called Barchoviny, there is a possibility of taking advantage of unmarked forest and field paths.

Slatina nad Úpou (372 metres ASL)

A village stretching along the road from Červená Hora to Litoboř and Hořičky, is mentioned in 1545 for the first time. In the village, there are well preserved native architecture houses called “log cabins”. A 17th century wooden timbered belfry with a truncated tent roof became an official symbol of the village. Sacral plastics and column of the crucification came down in the village and its near vicinity to the present. A pillar with a Conception of the Holy Virgin from 1829 by a road turning to Boušín is also remarkable.

Hořičky (440 metres ASL)

A village on the south spur of upland under the Krkonoše mountains is mentioned in 1357 for the first time, when a yeoman had his grange here. In a baroque church of the Holy Spirit, there is a 1600 tinny font with heraldry of the Strakové from Nedabylice.. At the church entrance, there two embossed marble gravestones, first of them representing a knight Kuneš Bohdanecký and the second one Bernard Žehušický from Nestajov. With their heraldry, a rim with two spikes a legend about strong Ctibor is connected. In an original 1709 wooden presbytery, there used to be a school, contemporary stone empire building is from 1800. At the Austro-Prussian war, three Austrian generals Leopold Daun, Gideon Laudon, Leopold Beck and Moritz de Lascy met to a consultative meeting at the presbytery in 1759. In the park in front of the presbytery, there is a bust of Antonín Pich`s (1795 - 1865), healer and fracture doctor, who founded the hospital in Hořičky in the half of the 19th century. A tablet on a present restaurant mentions Julius Zeyer`s frequent visits of the U Vitoušků inn in the years 1869 – 71. The memorial in the village square and the memorial tablet on his native house number 60, commemorate the teacher and patriot Josef Čapek, who died after a serious illness in Terezín in 1945. At the northeastern edge of the village, there is a so-called Barunčina vyhlídka (Barunka`s view), a place of distant views of part of the Krkonoše foothills, Bor and Hejšovina table mountains, Orlické hory (Eagle mountains) and plains along the Labe river. A stony cross of conciliation with a symbol of a cross engraved is found near Hořičky at road to Brzice at the place called Na Chrbech. It is one of the best-preserved stony crosses, which can be found in a few tenths of variations in the Náchod and Trutnov regions.

Barchoviny – A country of hills and forests along the right Úpa river bank with characteristic tabular shape with shifts on the north side. Romantics will like it for its tranquil valleys with brooks with rock in them, tourists will find there less frequented paths and views to the distant country, and for mushroom pickers it is a real paradise. The highest point of the Barchoviny, Kopna, is 582 metres ASL. In villages and settlements at the forests edge, there are well-preserved folk architecture buildings (Křížanov, Mezilečí, Brzice, Proruby, Maršov). By a road in Komárov village, there is another mysterious stone cross. To the west, Barchoviny continue with another forest group called Království (Kingdom) with a recreational centre at the Rabiš pond, which surrounds Dvůr Králové nad Labem in the north.

Dvůr Králové nad Labem – Formerly a Czech queens` dowry town was founded by Přemysl Otakar II around 1270. Nowadays, the town is an important textile industry centre. Dvůr Králové has not only beautiful surroundings, but many historical and artistic landmarks as well The town is situated in the Dvůr Králové basin, which natural axis is made by the Labe river. In the north, this area is bordered with forests of Království, in the west the Zvičina mountain elevates to 671 metres ASL – from a stone view tower on its top, there are magnificent views of the Krkonoše mountains. In the south, there is the Kuks monuments preservation area - a baroque chateau with statues by Matyáš Braun and a nature gallery of Braun`s statues called the Nativity scene. The Těšnov dams on the Labe river and Jana Amose Komenský`s monument in Bílá Třemešná are tourists` sought after places. In Dvůr Králové, history lovers can find many historical buildings – an Old town hall, and citizens` houses in the square, Kohout`s yard with the town museum collections, remains of the town walls with typical Šindelářská tower, St. Jan Křtitel`s church with a steeple, in which there is so called “manuscript cell”, the place of the revelation of the Dvůr Králové Script. Memorial tablets on houses commemorate significant sculptors Antonín Wagner and Otto Gutfreund, who were born there. If we say Dvůr Králové nad Labem, we must add ZOO Safari in Eastern Bohemia as well, the best known zoological garden specializing in African fauna breeding. In the near future, there will be a northern speedway running through Dvůr Králové nad Labem, which will be connected to a highway leading from Hradce Králové through Trutnov and Žacléř promontory to Poland. This highway will probably lead through a tunnel under the Království forest.

Trutnov – A district town (414 metres ASL) experienced a dynamic growth in recent years. The town, where there is a machinery, textile, fur and timber industry, has its own brewery as well. In the town, there is also forestry and a medical school. It is important road and railway intersection For its position, it is called a Gate of the Krkonoše mountains. A legend connected with the town dates its foundation to 11th century. Then, in a deep forest, a mythic knight Trut was looking for a suitable place for founding a village, when he found a frightful dragon that he killed in a struggle. Mikoláš Aleš depicted his tenacious fight in one of his lunettes. The dragon became part of the town heraldry as well. An origin of Trutnov is connected with the Úpa river, through which valley important routes led. The first written information about the town dates from 1260. Since 1392, Trutnov became a royal dowry town. In 1421, it was defeated by Hussites, at the 30-year war it was twice burnt down by Swedes, in 1755, a native uprising was suppressed here. At the Austro-Prussian war, a bloody battle occurred on Janský vrch (Janský hill) hillside and on a Šibeník rise. It was the only one battle in this war won by Austrian soldieries. The Trutnov town centre, an urban conservation area, preserved in its 13th century colonization time’s shape. A renovated square, with renaissance and baroque houses with arcade all around invites visitors to visit its shops. In the middle of the square, there is a remarkable richly decorated stone fountain with a statue of Krakonoš. There is an 1826 neogothic town hall dominating the block of citizens` houses. In the place of present Museum of the Krkonoše country, there used to be a royal castle in 13th century. One of the dominant features of the town is a 63 metres high steeple of the church of the Birth of the Holy Virgin (late baroque building with classicist features from the years 1755 – 82 by L. Niederröcker). Another dominant feature is the Janský hill, and the Šibeník hillock, where an Austro-Prussian war bloody battle took place in 1866. To the church of St. John the Baptist, there are concentrated monuments to soldiers, who died at this battle. On the Šibeník hillock, there is a twenty-meter high iron obelisk from 1868, built as a view tower. In its lower part, there is buried the winner of the battle of Trutnov, Austrian general Ludvík Gablenz. Numerous graves, monuments and tumuli are scattered around the country near Starý Rokytník and Rubínovice to commemorate this sad event in the nation`s history. In the trace of the 1866 battle, there goes an educational route with its starting point in the Trutnov square. In Trutnov, there is a vivid cultural life – Trutnov autumn traditional chamber music festival (September), Open Air Music Festival - rock festival (August), organ music festival (May), Trutnovský advent (Trutnov Advent) spiritual music festival, Jazzinec jazz festival. A nearby Dolce recreational area invites Trutnov citizens as well as its visitors to bathing and doing sports. Trutnov is an entrance gate to the Krkonoše mountains, which offer unlimited possibilities of recreation and sports and tourist self-realization.

Krkonoše (Krkonoše mountains) – A unique area of the Krkonoše mountains is considered the richest nature area in the Czech republic. The Krkonoše mountains have an exceptional status – they are with their three highest mountains, Sněžka (1602 metres ASL), Luční hora, (1555 metres ASL), Studniční hora (1554 metres ASL) the highest ones in the Czech republic and with its height they rank just behind the Alps and the Carpathians. Labe, the biggest Czech river, springs here. Krkonoše mountain ridges are characterized by a wide leveled surface in height of 1300 – 1500 metres ASL, from which there the highest peaks elevate. Although the mountains belong to middle-sized ones, they have many alpine mostly climatically determined features. Mountain ridges are covered with a large snow cover for five or six months, winter fades into the spring, autumn and summer. Still in June, snowfields can be seen in some places and it is not rare to see snow falling here in the middle of summer. A growing season, during which plants grow and life around them proceed, is shortened markedly – in the highest parts it is only 30 days. In this short period, the whole growing cycle from the first leaves to fruit ripening has to pass. Plants and animals have to adapt it perfectly. Among a species rich flora, ranging in corries, spring areas, peatbogs and along brooks, a few endemites can be admired – plants growing in Krkonoše only. The Krkonoše mouuntains, the most significant tourist region of the Czech republic, offers modernly equipped ski resorts, many kilometers of maintained cross-country skiing tracks, downhill runs for skillful skiers, as well as for beginners. In summer, there are hundreds of kilometres of marked paths and educational routes awaiting visitors. The paths offer a possibility of self-realization for proficient cyclists as well. Krkonoše offer magnificent views of the peaks and picturesque valleys, information about nature interests, proving your physical condition, doing sports or enjoy being alone in the nature. Tips for trips and walks can be found in numerous information centers. While strolling aroundt he Krkonoše mountains, it is necessary to keep the Krkonoše national park instructions.