E 🇨🇿🇩🇪 | Krupka

The price of 59 euros includes transportation, admission fees, guided tours, lunch with a non-alcoholic beverage, and a hot drink with dessert.

This trip takes us to the eastern edge of the Ore Mountains with distant views of the Jizera Mountains and the Giant Mountains.

The route will lead through the Podkrušnohoří region, which has a completely different character than the mountainous areas. We will see a landscape scarred by mining and long-reclaimed areas. We will be accompanied by the impressive volcanic formations of the České středohoří mountains.

The first stop is the Krupka Mining Landscape Information Center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then we will visit Krupka Castle, which towers over the historic center, where we will have a light snack. Next, we will drive to the Starý Martin adit, which has the longest tin ore vein in Central Europe. After touring the tunnel and the open-air museum of mining technology, we will head to the highest point of the trip – Komáří vížka, where we will have lunch. We will have a panoramic view of not only the ridge of the Ore Mountains, sloping towards Saxony, but also the deep and steep slopes towards the Czech interior. The former volcanoes of the České středohoří Mountains will tower above us, as will the Lužické Mountains to the east and, in good conditions, the peaks of the Krkonoše Mountains in the distance. At Komáří vížka, we will also see a giant pink, which is a protected monument.

The last stop will be the town of Altenberg. The Mining Museum in Altenberg will give us an insight into the hard but fascinating work of miners. It will take us through 550 years of tin mining history, from its beginnings around 1440 to its closure in 1991. This will be followed by a short guided tour of the Altenberg mine. The main collapse of this impressive 150-meter-deep sinkhole from the tin mine occurred in 1620. Since the area is not freely accessible for safety reasons, the view from Pingenblick is a unique experience. The mine has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2019 and is one of the most impressive mining monuments in the Eastern Ore Mountains.

On the way back, we can admire the Hrob viaduct on the Moldava Mountain Railway and the Cistercian monastery in Osek from the bus. Another interesting sight is the Deanery Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Most, which was moved due to brown coal mining. The entire historic town of Most had to make way for mining, and today Lake Most, a popular recreational area, lies in its place.