54 🇨🇿 | From Český Jiřetín to Fláje

From the central parking lot in Český Jiřetín, we’ll head toward the ski resort. Here we can admire the Church of St. John the Baptist, the only all-wooden church in the Ore Mountains, which is also unique in that it was moved here in the 1960s from the flooded village of Fláje. Passing through the recreational area and the forest on a gentle incline, we reach the dam of the Fláje Reservoir. This section is also part of the Hřebenovka Krušné hory – East long-distance hiking trail.

In Fláje, we recommend recharging your batteries at the local bistro and picking up some interesting information at the nearby Povodí Ohře Information Center. By prior arrangement, you can also take a tour of the technically unique hollow dam.

More experienced hikers won’t want to miss the turnoff to the abandoned village of Fláje, where the original church foundations are still visible, and to Puklá skála, which offers the best view of the Fláje Reservoir.

The Fláj Canal will take us back to Český Jiřetín. One of the oldest hydraulic engineering monuments in the Czech Republic, it was used to float timber to Freiberg in Saxony; it was carved into the rock, and there is an artificial waterfall at the entrance to the village. We will soon arrive back at our starting point.