Book a Tour from Karlovy Vary to the Top of the Ore Mountains

Book a Tour from Karlovy Vary to the Top of the Ore Mountains - Mountain Trek

Mountain Trek Main Details
Trip Dates: Tue, Sun (April through October)
Meeting Time: 10:45 am
Departure Point: Karlovy Vary “Tržnice” Bus Stop (painted green) for long distance buses on Varšavská Street (placed between two crosswalks, the Market Hall being behind you)
Tour Duration: 6 hours (approximately)
Distance Covered: 83 km
Price: 600 CZK per person, 2 people mimimum (1200 CZK)
A chair lift ride (optional): 50 CZK is included.

Tour overview
Our first stop on the way to the Ore Mountains is Jáchymov (pop 3, 200). The silver mining boom increased the town’s population up to 18,000 in the 1530s. Uranium mining started in the 1890s to produce colors (yellow and green) for glass and porcelain manufacture. The discovery of radioactivity led to commercial radium production from uranium ore. Radioactive water from the mines was used to establish the world’s first spa for radon treatment in 1906.
The infamous history has been written since uranium became the strategic material of the nuclear age. The prisoner camps were set up for German prisoners of war after the World War II. The whole production of uranium went directly to the Soviet Union. German prisoners were replaced by local inmates by the end of 1949. In the communist concentration camps of this area (total of 18) were about 65,000 prisoners in the 1950s, many of them political. “The Mathausen Stairway” of the former Svornost Camp (Concord in English), has been only one of a few reminders of these cruel years. These steps were named after “the Stairway of Death” of the Nazi Mathausen Concentration Camp, Austria.

Heading to the cozy town of Boží Dar (God’s Gift in English), an option depending on the weather is a chair lift from Jáchymov to the peak of Klínovec (1244 m above see level). You start at 800 meters, get off at 1230 meters above sea level. The ride takes about 15 minutes. Follow a red marked trail (4 km) to reach your next destination while enjoying panoramic views of the Ore Mountains. We will take a look at the 3-sided border stone from the 18th century. It is situated at the meeting point of three lands: Saxony and two dominions in Bohemia (nowadays the Czech-Germany border). Boží Dar´s (pop 200) elevation of 1020 meters above sea level makes it the highest town in Czech. It is a starting point of many hiking & cycling trails and a very popular ski resort in winter.

Along the road to Horní Blatná, there is a 12 km long water canal constructed in the middle of the 16th century to transport water for mining purposes. At Blatná hill (Blatenský vrch), climb the observation tower built in 1913. From there you hike the Wolf hollow trail to Horní Blatná (1, 5 km). Fall down shafts of former tin mines created this monumental formation named “The Wolf Hollow”. Enter the Icy Hollow, which is about 15 m deep and narrow. Due to low air circulation, the temperature keeps down and ice remains in there for a long time.
The town of Horní Blatná (pop 800) is a very pleasant location to see for its laid back atmosphere and historical buildings.