24 🇨🇿 | The mining El Dorado of the Ore Mountains

We start at the parking lot in the center of Abertamy. Note the house with the pale blue facade with the sign Marcebila - we will need it.

Abertamy is a famous town where gloves were manufactured until the 1990s. The tradition was established by Adalbert Eberhart and Alois Chiba in the mid-19th century. People all over the world wore gloves made here. You can learn more—not just about glove-making—at the local museum.

But we’ll head north along the green trail toward meadows and forests. We’ll pass a tailings pile from uranium mining in the 1950s. We’ll enter a beautiful forest and make our way to the well-known Červená jáma snack bar. It’s like something out of a fairy tale—a wooden cottage surrounded by remnants of mining activity. If you walk up the gentle hill, you’ll come across deep open-pit tin mines from the 16th century. You can explore them with caution. Legend has it that this is where Marcebila, the ruler of the Ore Mountains, has her underground castle.

Then we will go along the meadow, from where we will have a beautiful view of Abertamy, Hřebečná and Plešivec peak. The local landscape reminiscent of the tundra has been given something of the Scandinavian poetics. We will pass by the impressive Schnepp's Pinky and the White Dove Mine.

The Mauritius Mine is worth a quick detour; it’s a significant part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (advance reservations required). We’ll walk through the abandoned part of Hřebečná until we reach another spot for refreshments—Maringotka. This is the perfect place for a beer! Crossing enchanting meadows, we’ll reach the forest and follow an easy path to the magical Mrtvý rybník (Dead Pond) with its dense, black peat-colored water. It’s a very photogenic spot. From here, we’ll head back to Abertam along a straight path that serves as a great cross-country skiing trail in winter.

We will go down to the Bystřice valley, passing the former swimming pool. But we continue along the valley to the dilapidated building of the former tannery, where the leather for gloves was prepared. On the way back up to the town centre we pass the former glove factory buildings on the left. Well, we're back on the square and in a pale blue house with a sign saying Marcebila, have a coffee and a dessert. In the local bistro, located on the upper side of the square next to the town hall, you can buy great local cheese from the farm and have a perfect meal. Enjoy.