BUCHAR'S TRAIL - Spindleruv Mlyn

 The beginning of the trail is at the enclave of Horní Mísečky, whose settlement, probably connected with ore mining, was already mentioned in the 17th century (1642) .Nowadays it is a famous sport centre of the downhill and crosscountry skiing. On the red stripe-marked tourist trail we walk the southern direction across the whole enclave and by the side of the crosscountry skiing area Buchar's trail starts to rise mildly up to the first of three hills -Mechovinec (1074 m a. s. l.). "Over three hills up to Žaiý" -it is the other name for the trip you have chosen and it is really close-fitting name, because Buchar's trail passes by three marked peaks -Mechovinec, Černá skála and Šeřín, before it starts to drop to the crossroads of the tourist trails Na rovince (846,4 m a. s. l.) where it is to start rising up again over Janský vrch (824, 7 m a. s. l.) to Zadní Žalý (1035,7 m a. s. l.). Once it was a very famous summer and winter route where headmaster Buchar from Dolní Štěpanice used to guide Czech tourists to the Krkonoše Mountains.

 On the north-east slope of the Mechovinec is worth to stop on Harrachova skála (1 035 m a. s.l.) -phyllite to mica schist rock outcrop -there are excellent views of Kotel with a couple of the glacier cirques Malá and Velká Kotelní jáma and also of the ridge Krkonoš, on whose southern slopes the Masaryk's mountain road passes through (a climbing up trail to the Elbe spring, where Buchar's trail from Horní Mísečky by the reverse direction Ieads). By the direction to the east there is deeply below us the Elbe valley with Špindlerův Mlýn, the most noted mountain centre of the Krkonoše Mountains, situated. In a background the steep slopes of Kozí hřbety, Stoh, Luční hora and Studniční hora raise themselves and on their foothill there is the famous part of Špindlerův Mlýn -Svatý Petr situated. In its surroundings were the ores already in the 16th century mined.

 In the upper part of the Elbe valley below Spindleruv Mlýn is also about 1 km Iong Labská přehrada / The Elbe Dam situated , it was built on this place already in the beginning of the 20th century. The impulse to build it were ucontrolled calamities, which affected the Krkonoše Mts. on the turning of the 19th and 20th centuries, as a consequence of the inconsiderate managing of our ancestors with mountain forests. Up to now the dam serves as a very effective regulator of the situation of the water in the Elbe, and mainly with a sudden spring snow thawing on ridges or with forceful summer torrential rains.

 The trail over the peaks of Mechovinec, Černá skála a Šeřín Ieads mainly through spruce forests and there is impossible to not take a notice of the Iarge damage of the forest growths. It is a fault of the industrial immissions and a consequentive great occurence of the pests (above all bark beetles and sawfly Cephalcia abietis L.,) to whom the weakened ecosystem of the mountain forest is not able to resist But it is also partially fault of our ancestors, who in the past centuries cleared the majority of the original mixed forests and Iater replaced with unsuitable spruce monocultures. The used seed for sowing and plants were on top of it of the strange origin, from Iowlands from the Alps countries and that only increased a sensitiveness of today's forests to the polluted atmosphere and pests. Large clear-cuts along the trail are the sad witness of the ecological catastrophy, which in 70s and 80s in a full range affected the Krkonoše Mts. National Park. Nevertheless, all clear-cuts are afforested again and so especially during ski tours do not Ieave marked routes, because you could uselessly damage young forest cultures.

 Much better are forests deeply below us, in the tortuous Elbe valley. Up to now there are rests of the original mixed and broadleaved, mainly beech forests, whose variety of colours during an autumn season belongs to unforgettable experiences in the touring through this part of the Krkonoše Mts. The touring "Over three hills" Ieads us up to the peak of Přední Žaiý, where in the height of 1 019 m a. s.l. an 18 m high stone Iook-out tower rises. It was already built in 1836 by the meaningful support of the count Jan Harrach, at the beginning it was from wood, then from iron and since 1892 it has been in today's Iooks. From its peak is one of the best panoramatic views in Bohemia (in an absolutely ideal conditions towers of the Prague cathedrals are said to be seen). If you do not see them, you will be surely attract by more modest tower of the tastefully reconstructed wooden belfry in Volský Oůl on the opposite side of the Elbe valley .There came many of those belfries into existence all over the Krkonoše Mts. and besides an evenina chime they had the practical aim -they announced a rise of the fire. Forest stands along the Elbe valley by the direction Špindlerův Mlýn alternate with forestless enclaves which are named Herlíkovice, Struhadla, Volský Oůl, Klausovy Boudy ana Krausovy Boudy .Some of them have existed since the 16th century, when those modest seats were established by woodcutters from the Alps countries. They were called to the Krkonose Mts. by captain Christopher of Gendorf, the noted feudal lord of the Krkonoše Mts. , whose activity is the era of the mining,ronworks building, cutting of the forests and intensive wave of the settlement of some part of the Krkonoše Mts. connected with. Krkonoše Log Cabins Autumnly coloured forests sharply contrast with a rich green or the mountain meadows on enclaves of the Krausovy Boudy, Hemkovice or on the slopes of Benecko or Janova Hora. Our ancestors made on these mountain enclaves a specific Iocal colour of the Krkonoše Mts. Iandscape, when they in connexion WILlI an expansion of farming (17th and 18th centuries) built tens of the specific Iog cabins, serving as permanent dwellings of mountaineers earning their Iiving by working in foresrs. cattle-breeding or weaving and beading. Log cabins w"nT through their architectonic development, but mostly they were simple three-part houses, set up of the Iiving-room, ante-room and chamber or shed. They have stone underpinnings and their construction is from Iogs. Crevices between them were bunged up with a moss and chips, covered with a clay and painted over with a white colour. Roof dormer-windows were characteristic building elements on some Iog cabins, through which was a transmitted from a meadow straight to a Ioft. Aiso a Iocation of the windows and doors, well protected against snow and winds,gave an evidence about that how perfect experts of the Krkonoše Mts. nature our ancestors were. But after the World War 2 was a Iarge number of the log cabins changed into recreation properties and during their various reconstuctions unfortunately insensitive interferences with this mountain folk building took place. Despite of it we can see around our trip trail a number of preserved witnesses of this specific architecture of the Krkonoše Mts. highlanders. It concerns mainly enclaves of Štěpanice, Benecko, Mrklov, Křížlice and some enclaves on the both sides of the Elbe valley.

 On the peak of Přední Žalý we have an opportunity to choose from two directions for a descent. If we continue going on Buchar's trail, we will walk through spruce forests and mountain meadows across a part of Benecko (well-known recreation and sport centre) to settlement Mrklov and across Štěpanice (a ruin of the Štěpanice castle established in the beginning of the 14th century as a seat of the Valdštejn's branch) and Hrabačov we will be Ied by red stripe-marked trail to market-town Jilemnice, on the boundary-line of the Krkonoše Mts. and Podkrkonoší (a specific region under the mountains). It is an economic and cultural centre of the western part of the Krkonoše Mts., established in the beginning of the 14th century. Its history is connected with houses of the Valdštejns and Harrachs. In a building of pseudo-renaissance castle there is a seat of the Krkonoše Museum, whose exhibition is definitely worth to see. There is a big pictorial gallery of František Kaván, a Iocal history exhibition with remarkable bethlehems and above all a permanent exhibition from a history of the development of the skiing in our country. Just JiIemnice has in this way an important position, because already in 1894 was established here the famous ski club Ski Jilemnice. The starts of the skiing are put in the beginning of the 19th century and foresters from Harrachov are rightly considered as its pioneers. Count Harrach, the owner of the manor Jilemnice, brought skis to the Krkonoše Mts. from Norway with an intension to make forester's winter work easier. Soon there were more such enterprising people, who started to make "ski". Jan Buchar, a teacher from Horní Štěpanice and a big propagator of the ski sport, tried his fjrst original "ski" for the first time on Christmas Eve in 1892. Later he had big merits on the development of the skiing in the Krkonoše Mts., he was even the first chairman of the Ski club Jilemnice (established in 1894) and he gained recognition for an establishment of the skiing training to compulsory school programmes. He became a big propagator of the Krkonoše Mts. nature, tourism and was at the birth of the first ideas about a necessity of the consistent protection of the Krkonoše Mts. nature. He saw a colouring stripe-marking of the tourist trails through, which is used today both in the Czech and in Slovakia and by its way belong among the best tourlst marking in Europe. By the right is the trail from Jilemnice across Horní Mísečky to the Elbe spring named after this popular oerson from the Krkonoše Mountains history.

 From the out-look tower on the peak of Žalý (it is usuallv ooen during the tourist season between 1 0 a. m. and 4 p. m.)we can also set out by the direction to Vrchlabí. During the winter there is possibility of the Iong downhill run on formed slopes to the ski area of Zadní Herlíkovice on the side of Vrchlabí descent is more convenient yellow strloe-marKea uall. wnlcn Ieads us to Vrchlabí over Křížovky and Kněžice(beautiful views of the town and also the whole eastern part of the mountains). Vrchlabí is the real gate to the central part of the Krkonoše Mts. nowadays it has over 13.000 inhabitants,but its beginning goes back to the era of the Krkonoše Mts. colonization in the 13th centuy, in circumstances with a mining for iron ores and precious metals. By an endeavours of Christopher of Gendorf Vrchlabí got the right of the mining town (1533). In the town's cente there is a Renaissance chateau, surrounded by beautiful chateau park. On its side there is a seat of the Krkonoše Mts. National Park Administration and in a near-by house of the former Auausllnlan monastery there is The Krkonoše museum situated (the tourist trail from Žalý passes by). We can recommend to visit it,becouse there is the modern ecological exposition "Stone and Life" installed, which together with the historical exposition "Man and Mountains" provides a very wide spectrum of information about a nature, a Iandscape and a history of the highesI Lzecn mountains. You can finish yaur trip in a near-by information centrA nf thA Krkonoše Mts. National Park Administration, where you will all needed information about a territory of the national park arena,about actual security or environmental protective precautions you can watch nice video programmes and choose a trail some of your next trip to the Krkonoše Mountains.