Obří důl - historical mine Kovárna

Droplet by droplet the water springs out of the crevice and slowly fills the in rock sculpted water reservoir . Darkness and humidity reign all around. The timbered ladders leaning against the walls, the wooden scaffoldings supporting the ceilings in high chimneys, those all are decaying slowly. It's been a very long time since someone climbed here with a tray full of arsenic ore, it's been a long long time since the weak light from miner´s lamp illuminated the old mine walls, it's been a long long long time since someone pumped the water out of the depth so as to be able to access the hidden treasures. The shaft openings caved in, the corridors fell in many places, heaps of waste rock were slowly eaten by the ever hungry forest and for centuries used miners' pathways are now almost unrecognizable. The underground of Sněžka fell into oblivion. Only the dwarfs and ghosts are still around and jealously guard their secrets....

The first mention of mining in Obří důl in Giant Mountains comes from 1456. An unknown Venetian refers to his adventurous 8 days long trip from Vrchlabí to Obří důl under Sněžka, where he allegedly found human skeletons, amethysts, emeralds and gold as remainders left after the mining.

Similar and not very believable tall tales come from Walachs who were coming to Krkonoše from the 15th century to look for precious stones and metals. In 1511 the miners from Meißen came to Obří důl after having failed at looking for gold on Šibeniční vrch (Gibbet Hill) in Trutnov. In 1534 seventeen entrepreneurs asked the king for the privilege to mine in Obří důl and to build iron mill, stamping mill and a settlement with all facilities. Cristoph Gendorf from Carinthia, the actual owner of all land in Trutnov and Žacléř district in those days, declined the application.

In 1548 Mr. L. Bischof applies for a permission to mine and in the answer it is mentioned, that the mining had already stopped for lack of ores 40 years ago. On the map from around 1569 by George from Řásná 7 mines and 5 digging spots are mentioned. The mining entrepreneur and prospector Hans Seyfert found rich deposits of copper, lead and silver ores in 1570, but there are no further details known. From the beginning of the 17th century the mines were financed by the estate of Mladé Buky and Mr. de Waggi owned a vitriol producing company - arsenic, so called "venomous" kiln. The kiln was enlarged by Mr. Ignác Loubal from Prague in 1811, afterwards the company was taken over by Mr. F. Winkler and in the end by Mr. Ruffer from Wroclau. Especially under Mr. Ruffer the company was blossoming and in between 1836 and 1866 the year production rose to 26.000 kg of copper and 71.000 kg of arsenic. The kiln was put out in 1876 after the copper deposits were exhausted and the clients were lost. Harbour of Hamburg used to be the main one until then. Arsenic would be added to paintwork used under the draught line. Arsenic used to be also exported to Venetia were it was used at dying of the famous venetian glass. The most extensive mine works were run here between 1952 and 1959, when the geologists looked for polymethal ores and above all for tungsten. Almost 7km (about 4 and half miles) of corridors were dug out in those days. From 1988 the Czech Speleological Society Albeřice are dealing with the research of the underground and are making it accessible slowly. The oldest parts of Kovárna mine were open to public in 2004. The visitors can not only see around 250m (about 275 yards) of dug out spaces, but they can also try out the job of medieval miners and see functional models of medieval mining equipment.

The Kovárna mine will be closed in summer 2010.
A new underground trail in the depths of almost 50 meters (164 feet) is being prepared for you.

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