Obří důl (; ) is a valley in the

Giant Mountains The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše, or Karkonosze (Czech: , , ), are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massif). The Czech–Polish bor ...

in the

Hradec Králové Region Hradec Králové Region (, ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic located in the north-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Hradec Králové. The region neighbours the Pardubice Region in t ...

of the Czech Republic. The valley lies in the municipal territory of

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 ...

and within the

Krkonoše National Park Krkonoše National Park (, abbreviated as KRNAP) is a Protected Areas of the Czech Republic#National Park, national park in the Liberec Region, Liberec and Hradec Králové Region, Hradec Králové regions of the Czech Republic. It covers most of ...

. It is a valley of the upper course of the

Úpa The Úpa () is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Hradec Králové Region. It is long. Etymology The name is of the Illyrian language, Illyrian or Celtic languages, Celtic origin, from the wor ...

River, stretching between the foots of the

Sněžka Sněžka () or Śnieżka (, ) is a mountain on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland, the most prominent point of the Silesian Ridge in the Giant Mountains. At , its summit is the highest point in the Czech Republic, in the Lower Siles ...

and

Studniční hora Studniční hora or Studničná hora () is a cumulus mountain in the Giant Mountains in the Czech Republic. With an altitude of , it is the third-highest peak of the mountain range and the entire country. Etymology Both the Czech name and the hi ...

mountains. The valley was formed by a

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...

glacier that reached a thickness of up to . In the valley lie the ashes of botanist

Karel Kavina Karel Kavina (September 4, 1890 – January 21, 1948, both in Prague) was a Czech botanist. Kavina was professor of botany at the Technical University in Prague. He worked on systematics, plant morphology and anatomy, and bryology. He published ...

(1890–1948), as well as the resting place of several unfortunate individuals who fell from the top of Sněžka.

Úpská jáma and historical sites

Úpská jáma is a glacial cirque that forms the uppermost section of Obří důl. Its slopes rise up to in height. Historically, Obří bouda Hut stood on Czech territory since the mid-17th century but was demolished in 1982. On the Polish side of the border, the Silesian House, built in 1847, remains in use today. Within Obří důl, there once stood Kovárna, a building constructed before 1568 as a mining forge. Over time, it was converted into a tourist restaurant and later into a nature conservation facility. However, it was demolished in 1979.

Mining

From the 16th century until the beginning of the 20th century, the area was home to mines for copper, iron and arsenic ores. The Kovárna mine, located near the former Kovárna hut, has been open to the public since 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obri dul Geography of the Hradec Králové Region Tourist attractions in the Hradec Králové Region Valleys of the Czech Republic