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We don’t reveal all places which you can see with us, however, some of them we can unveil for you.
Most Lake, which is not yet accessible to the public, was created by flooding the original Ležáky brown coal basin. It is 75 metres deep and has a surface of 309 hectares, which is a bit more than the surface of the popular lake known as Mácháč. Moreover, it also has a clear surface, up to 150 types of birds that live there, as well as fossil prints of Tertiary trees, petrified wood and fired clay - porcellanite. In the near future, the lake will be a recreation zone, and there are plans to build a dock, natural sport areas and cycling paths and to operate water sports.
Come with us on trips to the Central Bohemian Uplands. Raná is a beautiful three-peak mountain with a national nature reservation. The slopes are part of a feather grass steppe. This location has the remains of a quarry from the 19th century used for the extraction of construction rock. Since 1932, it has been the most famous paragliding and sport flying centre in the Czech Republic. During World War II, the Luftwaffe trained glider pilots here. There is a beautiful panoramic view of the countryside, and romantic individuals will certainly appreciate the view of the sun setting behind the Doupov and Ore Mountains, but the magic of this place is no less apparent even in the middle of the day. If we are lucky when visiting Raná, we will also encounter some very well known animals that love warm weather. Which? Be surprised!
We will visit the Lehnschafter Adit during our trips through the underground parts of the Ore Mountains and the coal mines of Most. This is one of the most extensive mining works in North Bohemia. It was established in the 14th century, and until 1851 a silver ore, galena, was mined here. It has a total of 12 floors, more than 12 kilometres and a total height of 250 metres. Miners managed to extract everything manually with chisels and hammers, and later with the use of explosives. Numerous volunteers and mining history enthusiasts helped with the restoration of the adit. Nearly everything here has been preserved in its original form. Thanks to this, the adit has a unique mysterious atmosphere, which is worth experiencing on your own. The silence, darkness and cramped spaces are sure to give you a rush of adrenaline.
The Rico staff is an air raid shelter, known as a Luftschutz shelter, at the factory of Marbach & Riecken AG, dating back to World War II. In 1944 and 1945, during the bombing of the STW AG chemical factory in Záluží, it was used intensively for the protection of factory workers, tenants, soldiers as well as women and children from the bombed Záluží residential complex.
In the 1950s, the shelter was transformed into a civil defence shelter and was used for that purpose until 1991. The shelter was designed to withstand an attack on chemical plants with an atmospheric explosion of thermo-nuclear weapons with a force of 400kt TNT. It had a capacity for approximately 90 persons. Plans were in place until 2013 to use the shelter as a museum space, and now it serves as the headquarters of Offroadsafari.cz.
During World War II, thanks to work carried out by tens of thousands of war prisoners, the Litvínov Chemical Plant was built, which we will take a look at together as part of the trips In the Footsteps of World War II in Most and The Most Coal Mines. Today the facility still produces fuel, plastics and other strategic materials. During the war, the chemical plant was repeatedly the target of Allied bombing. It was bombed a total of 17 times. There were also 30 labour and prison camps, and even today dozens of air raid shelters still exist.
The original town of Záluží declined in three phases, and at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s it definitively disappeared with the construction of a new petrochemical section. Several dozen major chemical and servicing companies are currently headquartered in the Záluží Chempark, and the site is used daily by approximately 6,500 employees from 180 companies.
You will get a chance to see the Kopistská Landfill during your trip through the Most mining zone. The landfill was established when debris from the Defenders of Peace surface mine were hauled away between 1945 and 1976. The reforestation process began in the 1960s, and its result is the largest forest area in the Most basin. A total of 70% of the surface is covered in forests with 33 types of trees. The site is already a protected nature reservation today, and it is also the home of newts and several types of frogs. Something very interesting is the contrast between the cultivated nature and several product pipelines running diagonally through the entire site.
One of the stops during the trip through the Most coal mining zone is a tour of the Vršanská uhelná mine and the coal storage site with a storage machine. This is the brown coal quarry with the longest lifespan of coal reserves in the Czech Republic. Just under 7 million tonnes of coal were extracted here in 2014. It is the third largest mine in the region by area. In 2051, the quarry should be re-cultivated, and part of the remaining pit will be flooded to create a lake with a size of approximately 260 ha.
If we are lucky, we will also see the mine clearing locomotives, which can be found only in the Most and Sokolov areas.
The extensive view of the Czechoslovak Army Quarry is an unforgettable stop on the trip through the Most Coal Mines. It is a brown coal surface mine located in the North Bohemian brown coal basin below the foothills of the Ore Mountains. Vast Komořany Lake with an area of over 5,500 ha was located here in the past, but was drained at the order of Prince Ferdinand of Lobkowicz after the year 1831. Because of the mine, several towns and Dřínov Lake disappeared later.
Nowadays, extraction is done on the surface, and fracking has begun in the direction of the Ore Mountains. Following the completion of mining, a new lake with an area of over 700 ha will be created.Large machines can be seen at the quarry, such as the KU 800, the KU 300 and the last existing RK5000.
Whoever journeys with us on our tours In the Footsteps of World War II in Most and The Most Coal Mines will see one of the most interesting sites in the Czech Republic. The former luxurious residence of the Lobkowicz family was an important cultural and community centre. Guests from afar used to attend concerts at the long-forgotten chateau park, and famous visitors included J. W. Goethe and Ludwig van Beethoven.
However, until the 1990s the chateau was in a dilapidated, and the ongoing reconstruction is taking place very gradually. We will look at this fascinating site against the breathtaking backdrop of the massive Czechoslovak Army Mine from a semicircular observation site in the Ore Mountains. During the summer, the route to the observation site is dotted with blooming violet and white foxglove.
The extensive plateaus formed with a strong layer of clay, divided by deep and wide valleys, is known as the Džban. It stretches in Central and partially in North Bohemia between the towns of Louny, Slaný, Kladno, Rakovník and Žatec. The Džbán consists of the Ohře watershed and the lower Vltava and Berounka rivers. We will view it during trips to megalithic landmarks and the countryside between Louny and Žatec. Here you will also find the well-known Kounov series and many other mysterious stone clusters and solitaires.
You will no longer find dead forests here. Beautiful views await us, along with restored nature laced with tunnels, closed mines and soon also brand new mines. The Ore Mountains have influenced mining technology throughout Europe. An application has already been filed for the site to be recorded on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a unique mining region.
These are (not only) the Ore Mountains, which according to legend are watched over by the spirit Rudovřes. If you journey with us on a trip through the countryside of the Ore Mountains, you will be charmed by the unexpected contrasts of the countryside formed by nature and people. This 130 km long and 40 km wide mountain zone will appear new and unique.
Military areas closed to the public for years, dozens of abandoned villages and thousands of original inhabitants driven out. We will take you to a breathtaking natural area full of mystery and a tantalizing atmosphere. Most of Doupov consists of an intensively used and guarded military space. We will take you to the very edge of the military space and let you enjoy the former towns and abandoned countryside full of mystery. We will go through the easy terrain to the views spanning up to 70 km, for example to Mt. Říp!
We can also roast sausages or sleep in the outdoors under the starry sky. Don't forget to notice the pasque flowers. They are beautiful herbs that can grow up to 40 cm tall. But be careful! It is poisonous. But if the herb is dried, it becomes nearly harmless and is used in medicine as a homeopathic for treating inflammation, asthma and muscle cramps.
A total of 85% of this zone is a protected reservation (The Central Bohemian Uplands Protected Landscape Area). The highest peak is Milešovka (837 m above sea level), and the lowest point is the surface of the Labe River in Děčín (121.9 m above sea level). The Central Bohemian Uplands were created by volcanic activity and are the most massive result of volcanic activity in the Czech Republic. Of volcanic minerals, the most prevalent are basalt and phonolite, deposits of sandstone and marlite.
The most important peaks include the most famous paragliding peaks Raná and Oblík, Milá and the Boreč "smoking" mountain. In the surroundings of Třebívlice are garnets and exceptionally even diamonds. You will have the opportunity to pan for Czech garnets on the trip.
These are lowlands stretching across Doupov, the Ore Mountains and the Central Bohemian Uplands. In the Tertiary, sediments were filled in, from which coal deposits formed with a thickness of up to 45 metres. Coal has been extracted here since the 15th century. Despite this, or perhaps due to it, this region has an inimitable charm, which we will introduce to you on your trip through the Most coal mining area. Mines, tunnels, dumps, mining machinery, re-cultivated countryside and interesting stories await you.
Mineral water was bottled here until 2005, and since then the site has been used as a storage area by the mineral water company Karlovarská Korunní. The mineral water was discovered by Mr Trautzel when digging a well, and therefore the spring was named Trautzelquelle and received the status of medicinal water in 1913. From 1965 to 2005 there was a bottling facility with 30-40 m deep wells. The product with a lemon or orange flavour was available in the entire Czech Republic. You will get to taste this delicious sparkling water on your trip through the Central Bohemian Uplands.
The town of Vlastislav contains a very interesting landmark – Skalka Castle, which was established in the 14th century near the old Slavic fortress. After the Swedes devastated the castle, only a 15 m bergfried marlstone tower on a basalt cliff remained, which was later used as a jail. A Baroque chateau was built below the remains of the castle in the 17th century.
The owners of the chateau have changed several times, and the chateau now belongs to the town of Vlastislav. In the future, the town plans to build a home for seniors. Each year, there is also an exhibition of photography and paintings with the Central Bohemian Uplands as a theme. You will see these locations on your trip through the Central Bohemian Uplands.
Číčov Mountain near the town of Hořenec is an impressive peak with a panoramic view and is very important for geologists. The reason is the occurrence of perfectly crystallised samples of aragonite, which fills the cracks in the rock. Samples of it can be found in many world mineralogical collections. Aragonite appears here in several forms, most often bright to amber, more rarely brown or greenish and exceptionally entirely clear. You can admire (but not collect!) these rarities when you journey with us to the Mysterious locations of the Central Bohemian Uplands.
Vintířov Chateau is located about 8 km from Kadaň. Albert Šlik had it built in 1544. In 1817, Josef Mikuláš Windischgraetz, the owner of the chateau at the time, began the construction of a new chateau based on plans by the French architect Jean Moreauak. The new chateau was connected with the old glass hall, where the winter garden was located.
The owners changed often until 1868, when the manor was purchased by Prince Joseph of Lobkowicz. The prince attempted reconstruction, but unfortunately he had most of the Empire features replaced by modern pseudo-Gothic elements, which significantly degraded the appearance of the chateau. The chateau was seized by the state in 1948. Following its nationalisation, it housed a military command, and later it was even the site of an agricultural school and kindergarten. Both chateaus have been decaying since 1983. After the Velvet Revolution, they were returned to the Thurn-Taxis family.
The Fláje Canal (Neugrabenflöße) is among the oldest technical water landmarks in the Czech Republic. It was built between 1624 and 1629, and until 1872 it was used for floating wood all the way to the Saxon town of Clausnitz, where the wood was mostly used as charcoal for steelworks. The canal was 18.2 km long and 1.2 m deep. The length of the floated wood was set at today's 1.27 m. Only part of the canal has been preserved. The Czech Forest Service carried out partial reconstruction, and it is a beautiful hiking path.
The unique hollow pillar dam built between 1951 and 1964 is the only one of its kind in the Czech Republic. The deepest point of the reservoir is 48 m, and when it was filled the former town of Fláje was flooded. The main purpose of the reservoir is to supply drinking water to the area of the North Bohemian brown coal basin.
It also ensures partial protection of the territory below the dam from flooding. Thanks to its unique design, it is among the Czech Republic's cultural heritage sites. Water is carried through the Ore Mountains by a pipeline with a diameter of nearly 2.2 m laid in a 5 km long tunnel on the Czech side. The material for the construction of the dam was carried 8 km by a freight car from the Moldavské nádraží railway station. You will see all of this if you set off with us on a trip through the natural beauty of the Ore Mountains.
From this observation point you can admire the view of the peaks of the Ore Mountains, the chemical plant in Záluží, the city of Most and the peaks of the Central Bohemian Uplands, including Milešovka. The site was originally the location of a 14 m German observation tower from 1884. During World War II, it was the site of a German army watchtower. Most recently the observation point was reconstructed and is a popular destination for tourists. It stands on Jeřabina Peak, 788 m above sea level and just under 7 km from the town of Litvínov.
The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Most is a late Gothic church built from 1517 to 1550 following a fire in the city in 1515. In 1975, it was moved 841 metres on railway tracks, so that it could be saved from the town that was destroyed to make way for coal mining. The church was moved at a speed of between 1 and 3 cm per minute, and the process took a total of 27 days. The move is recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records as the transport of the heaviest item on railway tracks (12,000 tonnes!). During the transport, the orientation of the altar was changed from an eastern to a nearly southern position.
The church became a national cultural landmark on 8 February 2010. It was newly christened in 1993 and is often used for weddings; its underground floor contains gallery spaces and a small film room showing a documentary on the moving of the church. The church is located north of the city behind a traffic corridor, is very visible and labelled by traffic signs, and is often the starting point of our trips.
This landmark is located just across the Czech border near Brandov in the Ore Mountains. The complex, a heritage site, is surrounded by the remains of fortified walls and serves as a reminder of the history of the Ore Mountains as a metallurgical centre. The site includes a total of 22 preserved buildings, the remains of the metallurgical operations, a hotel, a house with demonstrations of crafts and a hammer for copper materials with water canals. It would be difficult to find a more beautiful and photogenic location.
The tour In the Footsteps of World War II will take you to a place in the Most region with one of the darkest histories. Camp No. 25 in Dolní Jiřetín was a mixed labour and POW camp, which a total of 5,000 persons passed through. Many never returned home and do not even have graves. Now in its place are ruins and air raid shelters known as Splittergraben. The atmosphere and Martin's explanation will take you back 70 years in time.
Our trip through the Central Bohemian Uplands will take us to this freely accessible former quarry. There you will see a rock image closely resembling a children's drawing of the Sun. There are a total of 15 larger and a whole series of smaller stone suns. This natural phenomenon occurred during a volcanic eruption long ago, when molten magma created a kind of funnel, in which molten brown clay cores of foreign minerals remained. This site is unique due to the number and sizes of stone suns.
We will travel around this dominant peak during our trip through the Doupov area. The mountain was declared a nature reservation in 1974. There are many rare plants here, including St. Bernard’s Lilly, cheddar pink, martagon lilly, erect clematis and bastard balm, and animals such as the common European adder and the sand lizard. Birds that have been observed here include the eagle owl. Intensive research is currently being carried out here of vertebrate and invertebrate species. The plateau mountain Úhošť is a significant archaeological site. It has even been identified as one of the possible battlegrounds where in 631 or 632 Slovak tribes led by Sám defeated the Frankish tribes of King Dagobert.
During the trip through the Doupov area, you will see an installation formed by stone artefacts from former towns in the Doupov Mountains. They were demolished and abandoned in the 1950s and 1960s to make way for the establishment of the Hradiště military zone. The lapidary starts at the end of a park with an ageing chateau, and ends on Vintíř Peak with the Chapel of Our Lady Auxiliary.
That chapel from 1658 burnt to the ground after being struck by lightning in 1781, and has now been reconstructed. You can daydream in the shade of the young linden tree directly in front of the chapel or follow the Stations of the Cross formed with sculptures from the Vintíř symposium in the open air.
This wooden church currently stands in the lower section of the town of Český Jiřetín in the Most area. However, it was originally located in Fláje. How is this possible? This is one of the three moved churches in the Most area. It is also the only house of worship in the Ore Mountains made entirely of wood. It was built in the 17th century in place of the original Evangelical chapel in Fláje. After the destruction of the town to make way for the Fláje Reservoir, it was picked up and relocated to neighbouring Český Jiřetín.