©2008 Mediapool
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MTB tour
Ergis #ID: 907
The Blueberry Tour (MTB)
Vrchlabí Náměstí - Vrchlabí Náměstí
detailed map
Through the Krkonose Mountains forests
[51km/1615m; MTB]
The tour starts with the ascent through the woods up to the
Zaly mountain (1018m). Its old name is Heidelberg - Bluebery hill.
Everywhere in the fir forests there are bushes carrying blue fruits,
the blueberries.
Apart from mineral resources, the riches of the Krkonose
Mountains have always been its forests. The royal Captain
Christoph von Gendorf started mining iron ore and smelting it into
metal. To fire the ovens large amounts of wood were cut. And also
the silver mines in Kutna Hora consumed enormous quantities of
firewood. To supply this need, Gendorf brought in experienced
wood workers and rafters from Carinthia and Tyrol in Austria.
Hundreds of workers have built settlements, such as Krausovy
Boudy (near our way), and lived there with their families. These
settlers cut wood, built charcoal piles and floated logs on the Elbe,
Aupa and Isera rivers down into the valleys. They built dams and
barrages that allowed them to transport the wood even in summer.
Although these dams have not been preserved, the knowledge
that went into their construction has been passed on and is still
in use in many regions. You can find a lot of masterly built small
dams on the creek called Certova strouha close to the Bouda U
Bileho Labe.
Within a period of 50 years the largest part of the deciduous
forest in the Krkonose Mountains was gone. From 1609 the logging
moved to the adjacent Orlicke hory (Eagle Mountains). Many
settlers lost their work and began livestock breeding and alpine
dairy. Some of the many alpine farm lodges have been preserved
and can still be seen at the hillsides around Spindleruv Mlyn.
Little by little the Krkonose Mountains were reforested with
monocultures of firs. This type of forest grows relatively fast but it
is not very robust. The atmospheric pollution of the 80s severely
weakened these forests and left them vulnerable to damage
inflicted by the bark beetle. Huge areas had to be cleared - some
of it is still visible at the Kozi hrbety mountainsides. Fortunately
many areas - even hardly accessible slopes - have already been
reforested since. Length | 50.7 km | Time | 03:30 h | Elevation rise | 1615 m | Maximal altitude | 1100 m | Minimal altitude | 480 m |
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