The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše, or Karkonosze (
Czech: , , ), are a mountain range located in the north of the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
and the south-west of
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
, part of the
Sudetes mountain system (part of the
Bohemian Massif
The Bohemian Massif ( or ''Český masiv'', or ''Böhmisches Massiv'') is a geomorphological province in Central Europe. It is a large massif stretching over most of the Czech Republic, eastern Germany, southern Poland and northern Austria.
Th ...
). The Czech–Polish border, which divides the historic regions of
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
and
Silesia
Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
, runs along the main ridge. The highest peak,
Sněžka (), is the Czech Republic's highest natural point with an elevation of .
On both sides of the border, large areas of the mountains are designated national parks (
Krkonoše National Park in the Czech Republic and
Karkonosze National Park in Poland),
and these together comprise the
Krkonoše/Karkonosze Transboundary Biosphere Reserve under the UNESCO
Man and the Biosphere Programme
Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the 'improvement of relationships' between people and their environments.
MAB engages w ...
.
The source of the
River Elbe
The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...
is within the Giant Mountains. The range has a number of major ski resorts, and is a popular destination for tourists engaging in downhill and cross-country
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...
,
hiking
A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time.
"Hi ...
,
cycling
Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...
and other activities.
Names

The range has been called the Giant Mountains in English literature since at least 1719.
The
Czech name "Krkonoše" is first mentioned (in the singular, as ''"Krkonoš"'') in a 1492 record of the division of the Manor of
Štěpanice into two parts. The first map occurrence of the name dates back to 1518 to
Klaudyán map of Bohemia, when it is referred to the mountains as ''"Krkonoss"''. The origin of the name is usually interpreted as a compound of ''"krk"'' or ''"krak"'', an
Old Slavonic word for
Krummholz (a reference to the local vegetation) – and ''"noš"'', derived from "nosit" (to carry). Alternative linguistic theories mention a connection with the pre–
Indo-European
The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...
word ''
Corconti'', which is first listed by
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...
and refers to a pre-Celtic or
Germanic people
The Germanic peoples were tribal groups who lived in Northern Europe in Classical antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. In modern scholarship, they typically include not only the Roman-era ''Germani'' who lived in both ''Germania'' and parts of ...
.
In Simon Hüttel's chronicle of Trautenau (
Trutnov
Trutnov (; ) is a town in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone.
Administrative division
Trutnov consists of 21 ...
) from 1549 the names ''Hrisenpergisches Gebirge'', ''Hrisengepirge'', ''Hrisengebirge'', ''Risengepirge'' appeared for the first time, but in the following centuries several other names were still used too. Martin Helwig's map of Silesia mentions Riſenberg (Risenberg).
In 1380, Přibík Pulkava called the mountains the ''Sněžné hory'' (Snowy Mountains). The Czech writer
Bohuslav Balbín recorded in 1679 that the mountains were known under various names: Krkonoše (Cerconossios), Rhipaeos Montes, Obrovski Mountains, Snow Mountains or Riesen Gebirge.
The modern names of ''Krkonoše'' (Czech), ''Riesengebirge'' (German) and ''Karkonosze'' (Polish) became widely accepted only in the 19th century.
Geography

The area of the Giant Mountains amounts to , within the Czech Republic and in Poland. While most of the Sudetes are middle-sized ''
Mittelgebirge
A ''Mittelgebirge'' (; German: ''Mittel'', "middle or mid"; ''Gebirge'', "mountains or mountainous area") is a type of relatively low mountain range or highland area typical of the geography of central Europe, especially central and southern Germ ...
'' mountains, the Giant Mountains have a few characteristics of proper high mountains such as
glacial cirques, small
periglacial landform
A landform is a land feature on the solid surface of the Earth or other planetary body. They may be natural or may be anthropogenic (caused or influenced by human activity). Landforms together make up a given terrain, and their arrangement ...
s and an elevation significantly above the
tree line
The tree line is the edge of a habitat at which trees are capable of growing and beyond which they are not. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually low ...
.
The main ridge of the mountains runs from east to west and forms the border between these two countries. Its highest peak,
Sněžka/Śnieżka, is the highest peak of the Czech Republic. The
Silesia
Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
n northern part, in Poland, drops steeply to the
Jelenia Góra valley, whereas the southern Czech part slopes gently to the Bohemian basin. In the north-easterly direction the Giant Mountains continue to
Rudawy Janowickie, and in the south-east to
Rýchory. The pass Novosvětský průsmyk () at Jakuszyce forms the western border with the
Jizera Mountains.

The Bohemian ridge in the Czech Republic, running parallel to the main ridge, forms a second ridge (also called inner ridge). At
Špindlerův Mlýn the river Elbe divides the Bohemian ridge.
The ridges are divided by the rivers Elbe, Mumlava, Bílé Labe, Velka Úpa, Malá Úpa and Jizera, which originates in the Jizera Mountains. The rivers on the Czech side often fall over steep edges into valleys formed by ice-age glaciers. The largest waterfalls on the southern side of the mountains are the Labský vodopád with a height of , Pančavský waterfall (, the highest waterfall in the Czech Republic), Horní Úpský waterfall, Dolní Úpský waterfall and
Mumlava Waterfall (). The most important rivers on the Polish side are Kamienna, Łomnica and
Bóbr. They also form impressive waterfalls, such as
Kamieńczyk Falls (),
Szklarki Falls () Wodospad na Łomnicy () or
Podgórna Falls ().
The main ridge of the Giant Mountains forms the watershed between the North Sea and the Baltic. The rivers on the south side drain into the North Sea, those on the north side into the Baltic.
Highest peaks and peaks of interest
Flora
The river valleys and lower layers form the sub-
montane zone. The aboriginal hardwood and mixed forests are largely replaced with
spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...
monoculture
In agriculture, monoculture is the practice of growing one crop species in a field at a time. Monocultures increase ease and efficiency in planting, managing, and harvesting crops short-term, often with the help of machinery. However, monocultur ...
s. Only the river valleys offer remnants of hardwood forests.

The higher parts form the montane vegetation zone. Their natural coniferous forests have also in large parts been replaced by spruce monocultures, which are often heavily damaged due to air pollution and soil acidification. In many places, the forest is dead. This is due to the geographic location in the Black Triangle, a region around the German–Polish–Czech border triangle with many coal-burning power plants. The
sulfur dioxide
Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless gas with a pungent smell that is responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is r ...
emissions, which are mainly responsible for acid rain, and the emission of many other concentrations have been greatly reduced since the beginning of the 1990s, but the forest die-back, which started in the 1970s and culminated in the late 1980s, could not be stopped entirely.
The clearing of forests in the surroundings of mountain huts created species-rich mountain meadows, which were maintained in alpine pasture farming. After the expulsion of Germans in 1945, this type of management largely came to a standstill and the mountain meadows were largely abandoned.
Above the timber line at about is the
subalpine vegetation zone, which is marked by
knee timber, mat-grass meadows and subarctic high moors. This habitat of special importance in the Krkonoše is a relic of Arctic tundra, which was typical in Central Europe during the ice age. At the same time, however, there was a connection to the alpine grasslands of the Alps, and plant species coexist here which are otherwise separated by several thousand kilometers, such as cloudberries. Some species evolved under the specific conditions of the Krkonoše unlike in the Alps or in the tundra, especially in
Śnieżne Kotły. They are endemic, which means they only appear here.
The
alpine vegetation zone, with large rocky deserts, can only be found on the highest peaks (Sněžka,
Luční hora,
Studniční hora, Kotel and
Szrenica). Only grass, moss and lichen survive here.
Especially species-rich are
glacial cirques such as the Obří důl, Labský důl and Důl Bílého Labe on the south side and the dramatic Śnieżne Kotły, Kocioł Łomniczki and the calderas of mountain lakes Wielki Staw and Mały Staw on the north side of the main ridge. The species-richest areas are called zahrádka ("garden"). There are about 15 in Krkonoše, for example Čertova zahrádka und Krakonošova zahrádka.
National parks and nature reserves

On both the Czech and Polish side, large parts of the mountain range are
protected as
national park
A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...
s and
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
s.
The Czech
Krkonoše National Park (''Krkonošský národní park'', KRNAP) was created in 1963 as the second national park in
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
, making it the oldest national park in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
. Its area is approximately , including not only the subalpine zone but also large parts down to the foot of the mountains.
Poland's
Karkonosze National Park (''Karkonoski Park Narodowy'', KPN) was created in 1959 and covers an area of . It covers the highly sensitive higher parts of the mountain range from an altitude of about and some special nature reserves below this zone.
The strict conservation regulations of the Polish national park prohibit reforestation of damaged and dead forests. On the Czech side, however, large-scale reforestation projects are common.
Climate

The climate of the Giant Mountains is marked by frequent weather changes. The winters are cold and snow depths above are not uncommon. Many parts of the mountains are covered with snow for five or six months. There is often dense fog at the higher altitudes. On average, mount Sněžka/Śnieżka is at least partly hidden in fog and/or clouds on 296 days, and has an average of about 0.2 °C, which is similar to places much further north, like Iceland. The main ridge is one of the most wind-exposed areas of Europe. On the northern side the
Foehn wind is a frequent meteorological phenomenon. The annual precipitation ranges from about at the foot of the mountains up to on mount Sněžka/Śnieżka. The highest precipitation, at , is reached in the
snow pits in the valleys at the foot of the main ridge.
History

Since the Middle Ages, a state border has been established in the Giant Mountains, first between Poland and Bohemia, then between the Polish
Duchy of Jawor and Bohemia, between
Prussia
Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
and
Austria
Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...
, between Germany and
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
, between Poland and Czechoslovakia, and then between Poland and the Czech Republic. Apart from minor adjustments, the boundary has survived unchanged to this day. It is disputed whether the Polish ruler
Bolesław III Wrymouth
Bolesław III Wrymouth (; 20 August 1086 – 28 October 1138), also known as Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed, was the duke of Lesser Poland, Silesia and Sandomierz between 1102 and 1107 and over the whole of Poland between 1107 and 1138. He was the onl ...
crossed the Giant Mountains during his reprisal campaign against Bohemia in 1110. Until the establishment of Poland in the 10th-11th century the mountain range and its foothills were unpopulated, with deep, impenetrable forests. The Polish part was administratively part of the
Wleń castellan
A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...
y. The first traces of human settlements probably appeared in the
Duchy of Bohemia
The Duchy of Bohemia, also later referred to in English as the Czech Duchy, (Old Czech: ) was a monarchy and a Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, principality of the Holy Roman Empire in Central Europe during the Early Middle Ages, Early and High M ...
near two provincial paths between Bohemia and Poland in the 12th century. The town of
Jelenia Góra and probably also
Kowary existed nearby already in the 12th century, however, the oldest villages on the foothills on the Polish side were founded in the 13th century. Among the first native inhabitants were
wood cutters,
charcoal burner
A charcoal burner is someone whose occupation is to manufacture charcoal. Traditionally this is achieved by carbonising wood in a charcoal pile or kiln. Charcoal burning is one of the oldest human crafts.
History and technique
Medieval charc ...
s and hunters, and the first immigrants were gold prospectors.
The first wave of colonization by
Czech settlers in the Bohemian part goes back to the 13th century, but only includes the foothills; the mountain ridges were still unpopulated. The second wave of colonization of the foothills in the late 13th century was mostly by German settlers (''
Ostsiedlung''); they first colonized the Polish (Silesian) northern part, where farming conditions were better, and later the southern Bohemian part along the Elbe and Úpa rivers. Many agricultural settlements, markets and handcraft communities and cities were founded at that time, and they formed a base for the further colonization of the mountain range.
In 1281, Duke
Bernard the Lightsome granted the western portion of the Giant Mountains to the
Knights Hospitaller
The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem, commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), is a Catholic military order. It was founded in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in the 12th century and had headquarters there ...
from
Strzegom, and in 1292, Duke
Bolko I the Strict
Bolko (Bolesław) I the Strict, also known as Bolko (Bolesław) of Jawor ( or ''Srogi'' or ''Jaworski''; 1252/56 – 9 November 1301), was a Duke of Lwówek Śląski, Lwówek 1278–81 (with his brother as co-ruler) and Duchy of Jawor, Jawor after ...
granted the
Grzbiet Lasocki in the east to the
Krzeszów Abbey, whereas the remainder of the Polish part of the mountains remained a ducal possession, but there were some small noble possessions.
The first people who explored the inner parts of the Giant Mountains were treasure hunters and miners looking for gold, silver, ores and valuable stones, mainly on the Silesian side. In the 14th and 15th centuries foreigners who spoke a non-German language came to the mountains. They were called "Wallen" (see
Walha
*''Walhaz'' is a reconstructed Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic word meaning 'foreigner', or more specifically 'Roman', 'Romance-speaker' or '(romanized) Celt', and survives in the English words of 'Wales/Welsh people, Welsh' and 'Corn ...
), and their journeys to the "treasure" deposits were recorded in so-called "Wallenbüchern" (Wallen books). Mysterious orientation signs from these "Wallen" are visible to this day, especially on the northern side of the mountains.
In the 14th–16th centuries, miners, glassmakers, charcoal burners, woodcutters and shepherds settled in the mountains. The first glassworks reportedly was established in the Cicha Dolina ("Silent Valley") at the foot of the Grzybowiec mountain on the Polish side already in the 13th century, yet it certainly operated in the 14th–16th centuries. In the mid-14th century, there were also glassworks in
Szklarska Poręba and
Vysoké nad Jizerou. Later on, glassworkers from Bohemia also moved to the Silesian part of the mountains.
In 1511 German miners from the region around
Meissen
Meissen ( ), is a town of approximately 30,000 about northwest of Dresden and 75 km (46 mi) west of Bautzen on both banks of the Elbe river in the Free State of Saxony, in eastern Germany. Meissen is the home of Meissen porcelain, th ...
in
Saxony
Saxony, officially the Free State of Saxony, is a landlocked state of Germany, bordering the states of Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Thuringia, and Bavaria, as well as the countries of Poland and the Czech Republic. Its capital is Dresden, and ...
started working in
Obří Důl, directly below mount Sněžka/Śnieżka, and at the same time many other mines were opened in other central parts of the mountains, like Svatý Petr, now part of
Špindlerův Mlýn.
In the 1530s,
Christopher von Gendorf, a
Carinthian aristocrat and royal senior captain of King Ferdinand I, appeared in the Krkonoše and obtained the entire dominion of
Vrchlabí (''Hohenelbe'', High
Elbe
The Elbe ( ; ; or ''Elv''; Upper Sorbian, Upper and , ) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Republic), then Ge ...
). His enterprising spirit was crucial for the further development of the area. For the supplement of the miners he founded many smaller towns in higher parts of the mountains. Further down in the valleys iron work furnaces were built, and water wheels provided the energy required. Due to the intensive economic activity the first deforested enclaves on hillsides and on the peaks appeared during this period.

By order of Christopher von Gendorf, widespread timber cutting for the silver mine in
Kutná Hora started in many places, which caused irreparable damage. These orders led to the third wave of colonization, which fully affected the mountain ridges. In 1566 he invited lumberjacks from Alpine countries to settle in his domain. These people from
Tyrol
Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...
,
Carinthia
Carinthia ( ; ; ) is the southernmost and least densely populated States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The Lake Wolayer is a mountain lake on the Carinthian side of the Carnic Main ...
and
Styria
Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lower Austria. It is bordered to the south by Slovenia, and cloc ...
changed the character of the mountains and shaped the cultural landscape significantly. Hundreds of families, especially from the
Tyrol
Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...
region, created another group of inhabitants who spoke a different German dialect and brought another domestic culture to the Krkonoše. On the mountain hillsides they founded new settlements, laid down the basis for later farming by breeding cattle and built wooden dams to retain the water.
In the 17th century
Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, Duke of Friedland (; 24 September 1583 – 25 February 1634), also von Waldstein (), was a Bohemian military leader and statesman who fought on the Catholic side during the Thirty Years' War (1618–16 ...
acquired parts of the mountains, and the town of Vrchlabí served as a base for armament of his army. The
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
of 1618–1648 sparked further exploration and settlement of the Giant Mountains, as the inhabitants, fleeing from the armies, took refuge in the mountains, sometimes founding new villages. Religious refugees from the Bohemian part fled to the Silesian part of the mountains, where they settled in Marysin (present-day district of
Szklarska Poręba),
Karpacz,
Borowice, Michałowice (present-day district of
Piechowice
Piechowice is a town in Karkonosze County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Jelenia Góra, and west of the regional capital Wrocław.
, the town has a population of 6,194.
History
The a ...
) and Jagniątków (present-day district of
Jelenia Góra). Following the war, several cottages, called ''bouda'' (plural: ''boudy'') in Czech, ''buda'' (plural: ''budy'') in Polish and ''Baude'' (plural: ''Bauden'') in German, remained in the higher parts of the mountains, which were used during the cattle pasturage in the summer and sometimes even through the winter. Among the oldest are Luční bouda, Stara Śląska Buda at
Łabski Szczyt, Pomezní bouda and Brádlerova bouda founded in the 1620s and 1630s. The entire mountain range became a densely populated region.
During the 17th century the mountain range on the Bohemian side was divided among new landowners, most of them Catholics and foreign to the region. These included the families of
Harrach, Morzin and de Waggi. Disputes about the borders of each domain soon followed, but were settled between 1790 and 1810. Since the
Treaty of Berlin (1742) Silesia had become part of the
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...
. The court decision of 1790, which set the border between the Bohemian dominions and the Silesian
Schaffgotsch dominions (which family owned the Silesian part of the mountains, as well as large estates in the
Jelenia Góra Valley north of them since the Middle Ages), defines the border between Bohemia and Silesia to this day.
At first Bad Warmbrunn (
Cieplice Śląskie Zdrój, now a district of Jelenia Góra) with its hot springs became a popular bath and tourist centre on the northern side of the mountains. In 1822
Wilhelm, a brother of Prussian king
Frederick William III, was the first prince of the
Hohenzollern dynasty who took his summer residence in the Hirschberg (Jelenia Góra) valley, at Fischbach (today
Karpniki) castle. In 1831 the king himself bought
Erdmannsdorf Estate, which he had learned to appreciate when visiting his brother in Fischbach and the previous owner of Erdmannsdorf, field marshal
August von Gneisenau. The valley became a princely hideaway, and in 1838 the king purchased nearby Schildau Castle (today
Wojanów) for his daughter
Louise, Princess of the Netherlands.
Frederick William IV enlarged the Erdmannsdorf manor house. Many new parks were created and manors and palaces rebuilt according to the newest architectural styles.
In 1918 the Republic of
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
was founded, and in the following years there was an influx of Czechs on the Bohemian side of the mountains. Usually these people worked for the government (in contrast to the German inhabitants they spoke both Czech and German, which was required), but some of them also worked in the tourism industry and managed mountain huts like Labská bouda and Vosecká bouda. Many of these mountain huts had previously been owned by aristocratic landowners, but were given to the Czech Hikers Club (KCT) after the Land Control Act. This influx was stopped when the Czechoslovakian side of the mountains was occupied by Germany in 1938, and many of these Czechs left the region or were expelled.

There was no fighting in the Giant Mountains during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, and the Germans occupied the mountain huts as military observation posts, communication posts and resorts for troops. The Germans operated at least 15
forced labour camps, located in
Przesieka,
Przełęcz Karkonoska,
Piechowice
Piechowice is a town in Karkonosze County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Jelenia Góra, and west of the regional capital Wrocław.
, the town has a population of 6,194.
History
The a ...
,
Kowary and
Krzaczyna.
The camps held prisoners of various nationalities, including Polish (often women and sometimes even children), Italian, French, Jewish, Czech, Belgian, Luxembourgish, Ukrainian and Russian.
[ Belgian, French and Soviet prisoners of war, and possibly also Czech and Polish civilians, were used to build a road connecting the village of Borowice with Przełęcz Karkonoska, now known as ''Droga Borowicka'' ("Borowice Road").][ Poor sanitary and feeding conditions resulted in a high mortality rate, and after a ]typhus
Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...
epidemic broke out in 1942 the construction was halted.
After the defeat of Germany in the war, the mountains became again part Czechoslovakia and Poland, although with Soviet-installed communist regimes, which stayed in power until the 1980s. Almost the entire German population was expelled in accordance with the Potsdam Agreement
The Potsdam Agreement () was the agreement among three of the Allies of World War II: the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union after the war ended in Europe that was signed on 1 August 1945 and published the following day. A ...
. On the northern Silesian side, Poles, some of whom had been expelled from what was formerly eastern Poland resettled the area, while Czechs re-settled the southern Bohemian side of the mountain range. Today the population density of the area of the national park is two-thirds lower than before World War II, as it is a protected area, and many houses are only used at weekends, for recreational purposes. The population exchange also led to a decline of the cultural landscape. In large parts of the mountains the meadows ran to seed, settlements deracinated, hundreds of traditional houses and mountain huts decayed or turned into architecturally worthless objects and countless memorials, chapels, shrines, landmarks and springs were destroyed, because they were either German-related or ecclesiastic. New Polish names were issued by political decree in the Polish northern Giant Mountains.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Polish and Czech anti-communist activists met illegally in the Giant Mountains. Following the Fall of Communism, presidents of Czechoslovakia and Poland met at the Przełęcz Karkonoska in 1990.
Mountain huts and rock formations
Typical for the Giant Mountains are its numerous mountain huts, which are called ''bouda'' in Czech and ''Baude'' in German. Both names are derived from the Middle High German
Middle High German (MHG; or ; , shortened as ''Mhdt.'' or ''Mhd.'') is the term for the form of High German, High German language, German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High ...
word ''Buode'', which means booth or building. The Polish name is ''schronisko''. These were mostly named either for the location or for their constructor or occupant. The occupants, however, often changed after the expulsion, and several mountain huts especially on the now Polish side received new names. Entire colonies of mountain huts were called after the families who lived there. They are located in the higher parts or the ridge of the Krkonoše and were used by shepherds as wooden refuges in the summer. After 1800, some of the mountain huts became interesting for the first hikers, and towards the end of the 19th century many were converted into hostels. Later, these huts were often expanded to host a larger number of guests. Well-known historical mountain huts include Luční bouda, Martinova bouda and Vosecká bouda in the Czech Republic and Schronisko Strzecha Akademicka, Schronisko Samotnia and Schronisko na Hali Szrenickiej in Poland. In other places, the old mountain huts were replaced by newer buildings which were specially built for tourism purposes. Huts from the 20th century include Petrova bouda and the hut on the summit of mount Sněžka/Śnieżka.
There are also many impressive rock formations, such as Dívčí kameny-Śląskie Kamienie and Mužské kameny-Czeskie Kamienie, above on the main ridge, Harrachovy kameny on the Czech side, and Pielgrzymy and Słonecznik in Poland. These weathered blocks of granite
Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...
form high towers which often resemble humans or animals, and reach heights up to . Similar formations can be found in other parts of the Sudetes.
Tourism
The Giant Mountains form one of the most traditional tourist areas in Central Europe. As early as the 18th and 19th centuries, ascents of the Sněžka were common, for instance by Theodor Körner and Johann Wolfgang Goethe. Artists like Caspar David Friedrich
Caspar David Friedrich (; 5 September 1774 – 7 May 1840) was a German Romanticism, German Romantic Landscape painting, landscape painter, generally considered the most important German artist of his generation, whose often symbolic, and anti ...
and Carl Gustav Carus
Carl Gustav Carus (3 January 1789 – 28 July 1869) was a German physiologist and painter, born in Leipzig, who played various roles during the Romanticism, Romantic era. A friend of the writer Johann Wolfgang Goethe, he was a many-sided man: a ...
hiked through the mountains to find inspiration. Future President of the United States John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was the sixth president of the United States, serving from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States secretary of state from 1817 to 1825. During his long diploma ...
visited the Giant Mountains in 1800. At the end of the 19th century two mountain clubs were founded, the German ''Riesengebirgsverein'' (Giant Mountains Club) on the Silesian side and the Austrian ''Riesengebirgsverein'' on the Bohemian side. The touristic development of the Krkonoše was one of their goals, and this primarily meant the construction of hiking trails. In the following years they created a network of , with on the Silesia
Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
n (main) and Bohemian ridge alone.
With the development of settlement and tourism, there have been cases of deaths from falls from heights, straying and freezing or from avalanches. The oldest surviving records of avalanches date back to the 17th century, whereas the oldest surviving monument to a mountain victim is located on Sněžka/Śnieżka and commemorates Jan Pieniążek-Odrowąż who died in 1828. Additionally, in 1968, there was an avalanche in the Biały Jar ravine, which killed 19 people and injured 5 others. A total of 1,100 people took part in the rescue operation.
As a result, the mountains became one of the most popular vacation areas in the German Empire
The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...
. In the 19th century, the most numerous tourists were Germans and Poles
Pole or poles may refer to:
People
*Poles (people), another term for Polish people, from the country of Poland
* Pole (surname), including a list of people with the name
* Pole (musician) (Stefan Betke, born 1967), German electronic music artist
...
. Polish-language guidebooks to the Giant Mountains have been published since the 18th century, and in the 18th-19th centuries there were also indigenous Polish mountain guides. In the 19th century, many Czech writers visited the mountains and climbed Sněžka, which they then described in their works. Mount Sněžka was a symbol of the Slavic origin of the Czechs and a source of inspiration in the Czech National Revival
The Czech National Revival was a cultural movement which took place in the Czech lands during the 18th and 19th centuries. The purpose of this movement was to revive the Czech Czech language, language, culture and national identity. The most pro ...
movement. During the Gründerzeit (19th century period of industrial and economic growth) many manufacturers from Berlin
Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
built numerous holiday villas on the Silesian side, many of which are preserved to this day and provide a special flair, as in Szklarska Poręba (formerly Schreiberhau). Direct rail links to Schreiberhau from Berlin, Breslau (Wrocław), Stettin
Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major seaport, the largest city of northwestern Poland, and se ...
(Szczecin) and Dresden
Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
, and later even Deutsche Luft Hansa air links via Hirschberg (Jelenia Góra), enabled a convenient and speedy arrival. On laying out Berlin's Victoria Park on the Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg () is a district of Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Berlin-Mitte, Mitte. During the Cold War era, it was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, but since German reunification in ...
between 1888 and 1894 the garden architect Hermann Mächtig designed its waterfall after the Zackelfall ( Kamieńczyk Falls) and a gully after Wolfsschlucht (Vlčí rokle in Adršpach).
After World War II, ski resorts expanded with new lifts and slopes on both sides of the mountains, while the traditional mountain huts were neglected. Many were victims of fires, such as Labská bouda, ''Riesenbaude'', and ''Prinz-Heinrich-Baude''. Similarly many hiking trails, ski jumps and luge tracks fell into disrepair due to lack of care. In 1945, the Polish ''Dolnośląskie Towarzystwo Turystyczno-Krajoznawcze'' ("Lower Silesian Tourist and Sightseeing Society") was founded in Przesieka, which was merged with the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society the following year. The Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society re-opened several mountain huts. The cross-border hiking trail on the main ridge called " Polish–Czech Friendship Trail" was closed in the 1980s for all but Polish and Czechoslovak citizens. The mountains are on the route of main Sudetes hiking trail, Główny Szlak Sudecki (440 km from Świeradów Zdrój to Prudnik
Prudnik (, , , ) is a town in southern Poland, located in the southern part of Opole Voivodeship near the border with the Czech Republic. It is the administrative seat of Prudnik County and Gmina Prudnik. Its population numbers 21,368 inhabitant ...
), which follows the main ridge. Today, the Giant Mountains are a popular holiday destination in both summer and winter.
Winter sport
The Giant Mountains are a traditional winter sports centre in Central Europe. The largest mountain resorts are located on the Czech side in Pec pod Sněžkou
Pec pod Sněžkou (; ) is a town in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. The town lies in the Giant Mountains at the base of the highest Czech mountain, Sněžka. From the town a two-s ...
, Špindlerův Mlýn, Harrachov and Janské Lázně and on the Polish side in Szklarska Poręba, Karpacz and Kowary.
August Neidhardt von Gneisenau described a sledging of from Grenzbauden (Pomezní boudy) to Schmiedeberg (Kowary) already in 1817. Much earlier however heavy sledges already transported timber and hay whereas smaller and more manoeuvrable sledges, so called "Hitsch'n", were used to get faster from the ridges down into the valleys. Races with both types of sledges were a popular pastime among the locals and became an attraction for tourists. As sledging became more and more popular competitions were organized, the most popular and earliest during the late 19th century in Johannisbad (Janské Lázně). Around 1900, 3,930 sledges with long horn-shaped runners and 6,000 sport sledges were counted on both sides of the mountains.
Nordic skiing
Nordic skiing encompasses the various types of skiing in which the toe of the ski boot is fixed to the binding in a manner that allows the heel to rise off the ski, unlike alpine skiing, where the boot is attached to the ski from toe to heel. Re ...
was introduced during the same time when in 1880 Dr. Krause from Hirschberg (Jelenia Gora) bought some Norwegian skis in Stettin
Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the German border, it is a major seaport, the largest city of northwestern Poland, and se ...
(Szczecin). A pair of them, the first recorded skis in the Giant Mountains, ended up at the Peterbaude (Petrovka). The locals however didn't know their purpose, and it wasn't until Fridtjof Nansens "Paa ski over Grønland" (The First Crossing of Greenland) was translated into German in 1891 that skiing became popular. At the same year the first ski manufacture of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
was established in Jungbuch (Mladé Buky) by master carpenter Franz Baudisch. The first crossing of the main ridge was done in 1892/93. Skiing as a popular sport was mainly brought forward by forest wardens, teachers and industrialists and business people who provided money to create and maintain the needed infrastructure and sponsored equipment for poorer people and schools.
Around 1900 a number of sports clubs were founded in the Giant Mountains. The leading role of the region back then was emphasised by the fact that 5 of the 12 founding clubs of the Austrian Ski Federation (ÖSV) were located in this part of the Bohemia, that the office of the ÖSV was located in Hohenelbe (Vrchlabí) for the first three years (afterwards it moved to Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
and finally Innsbruck
Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...
) and that the first president of the ÖSV was Guido Rotter, a local from the mountains. The clubs on the Silesian side were part of the German Ski Association (DSV). After the breakup of Austro-Hungary and the creation of Czechoslovakia the German clubs of the Bohemian side of the Giant mountains joined the newly founded HDW, an association for all German winter sports clubs in Czechoslovakia, whereas the small Czech minority joined the ''Svaz lyžařů'', an association for all Czech winter sports clubs.
The towns and villages of the Giant Mountains became a popular venue for national and international competitions, its athletes ranked among the best of the era. The first German Nordic combined champion was a local, the competition itself was staged in Schreiberhau (Szklarska Poręba). Schreiberhau also hosted several luge championships. Martin Tietze and his sister Friedel from neighbouring Brückenberg (Karpacz) won the European luge championships many times. The first Rendezvous race, predecessor of today's Nordic Ski Championships, was hosted by Johannisbad, the majority of the competitions were won by HDW athletes.
Hiking
The mountain range is traversed by the cross-border hiking trail along the main ridge called the " Polish–Czech Friendship Trail". The start point is located on Szrenica and the end in the Okraj Pass/ Pomezní boudy; the length of the trail is approx. 30 km; the level of difficulty is moderate. The trail partially overlaps with ski trails.
On the mountain is The Meadow hut, the oldest mountain hut on the ridges of the Krkonoše Mountains. In 1625, a farm building (a simple shelter for pilgrims) stood along the Silesian Road, a trade route connecting Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
and Silesia
Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
.
Mountain biking and cycling
There are hundreds of kilometres of cycling and cross country roads, natural single tracks and demanding rock garden downhill courses in Karkonosze National Park. Mountain biking
Mountain biking (MTB) is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability ...
trails run across Polish and Czech Republic's borders and are set against forested mountain sides, green pastures, lakes and cold rivers.
Legend and literature
The Giant Mountains is the legendary home of Rübezahl, a half-mischievous, half-friendly goblin
A goblin is a small, grotesque, monster, monstrous humanoid creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearan ...
of German folklore.
The Giant Mountains provide the setting for Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué's "Der Hirt des Riesengebürgs," or "The Shepherd of the Giant Mountains
The Shepherd of the Giant Mountains () is a German ballad collected by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué in 1818. It was translated into English by Menella Bute Smedley in 1846.Martin Gardner, ''The Annotated Alice''. New York: Norton, 2000. p. 154, n ...
".
Important towns
* Harrachov in the Czech Republic
* Karpacz, ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...
in Poland
* Kowary in Poland
* Janské Lázně in the Czech Republic
* Pec pod Sněžkou
Pec pod Sněžkou (; ) is a town in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. The town lies in the Giant Mountains at the base of the highest Czech mountain, Sněžka. From the town a two-s ...
, mountain resort in the Czech Republic
* Szklarska Poręba, ski resort in Poland
* Špindlerův Mlýn, mountain resort in the Czech Republic
Resources
* Opera Corcontica – Scientific journal from the Krkonoše National Park
Gallery
File:Landkarte von Schlesien.jpg, ''Riſenberg'' on Martin Helwig's map of Silesia
Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...
, 1561
File:Jojo-Maly Szyszak 2005.jpg, Mały Szyszak, view from Tępy Szczyt
File:Krkonoše seen from Černilov, FastStone sharpening10 qual98.jpg, Panorama of the Giant Mountains from the south (from the Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
File:Jelenia Gora - panorama z Gory Szybowcowej.jpg, Panorama of Giant Mountains from the north (from Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
) in winter
File:Karkonosze panorama.jpg, Panorama of Giant Mountains from the north (from Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
) in summer
File:Widok na Sudety.jpg, Panorama of Giant Mountains from the north (from Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...
) in winter
File:Czarny Grzbiet 2.jpg, Alpine vegetation zone at the main ridge
See also
* Grzbiet Lasocki
References
Literature
* Nieuwentyt, Dr. ''The Religious Philosopher'' tr. by John Chamberlayne. London: Senex.
*
External links
Giant Mountains website
Official tourist website of the Krkonose
Official Krkonoše národní park website
Official Karkonoski Park Narodowy website
Giant Mountains On The Bike – Photography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Krkonose
Sudetes
Mountain ranges of the Czech Republic
Mountain ranges of Poland