Rýchory (, ''Rehorngebirge'') is a

mountain ridge A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...

in the eastern

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

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 ...

. It is the easternmost tip of the Giant Mountains, forming a broad belt of forested ridges from Horní Lysečiny over the Mravenečník hill to the Sklenářovický vrch hill.

Geography

Rýchory lies on the southeastern edge of the Giant Mountains. The main ridge is approximately 1.5 km long with the slopes included Rýchory are roughly 6 km long. They lie 10 km north of

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 ...

. The ridge is oriented in northwest-southeast direction. The highest peak is Dvorský les (1033 m), which forms the south-eastern ending of the main ridge and it is the easternmost one-thousander in the Giant Mountains. The north-western ending is the peak Kutná (1001 m) with Rýchorská bouda mountain chalet. Between these two there are no other important peaks. A short side ridge branches to the south-west with a nameless peak of 1008 m. To the north, the pass Rýchorský kříž divides Rýchory from northward ridge towards the main part of the Giant Mountains. Rýchory constitutes the easternmost part of 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 ...

and thanks to their highly valuable botanical locations, the upper parts around the main ridge of Rýchory have been included in Zones I and II of the national park. The Dvorský les forest in Rýchory preserves a remaining area of beech

primeval forest An old-growth forest or primary forest is a forest that has developed over a long period of time without Disturbance (ecology), disturbance. Due to this, old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features. The Food and Agriculture Organizati ...

, consisting of the bizarre trunks of old

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

rowan The rowans ( or ) or mountain-ashes are shrubs or trees in the genus ''Sorbus'' of the rose family, Rosaceae. They are native throughout the cool temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in the Himalaya ...

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...

and

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'' ...

trees covered with moss and is a favourite location of nature photographers. In the northern slopes of the Rýchory ridge and in the valley of the stream Sněžný potok is a small settlement called Rýchory as well, which forms part of the town

Žacléř Žacléř (; ) is a town in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,100 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zone. Administrative division Ža ...

Climate

Gold mining

Based on legends, written down by chronicler Simon Hüttel of Trutnov, gold was mined on the slopes of Rýchory as early as 11th century, while the most important mines were founded during the reign of Duke Oldřich of Bohemia. First written record of gold mining is from the year 1542. Emperor Ferdinand I granted mining privileges to the market town

Svoboda nad Úpou Svoboda nad Úpou () is a town in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 2,000 inhabitants. It lies in the Giant Mountains in the valley of the Úpa River. Etymology Both the Czech name Svoboda and the ...

. A gold mining village Sklenářovice was also founded in a southern valley of Rýchory. Largest extent of gold mining came after 1648, when Emperor Ferdinand III confirmed the privileges of Svoboda nad Úpou. Mining was ended in 1742. The gold of Rýchory is unique in Europe, because it contains palladium, other deposits with similar composition are only in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

.Krkonošské dolování 7: Dobývání zlata na Rýchorách
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rychory Mountains and hills of the Czech Republic Trutnov District