Alpine bell towers (Zvoničky) above the Labe – a 12km tour

• The river Labe (or Elba) begins its thousand kilometer journey to the North Sea as a series of streams cascading down the slopes above the mountain village of Špindlerův Mlýn. Within a few km of the village, the river is already a substantial torrent, carving a deep valley into the granite and schist rocks of the Krkonoše mountains.
• High above the raging Labe, settlers built their chalets and farms in newly created pastures from the late Middle Ages onwards. Many of these settlers were experts in forestry and logging, travelling from their homes in the Austrian Alps to oversee the cutting and transport of wood. Wood that was needed in vast quantities for the mines and smelting plants of northern Bohemia in the 16th and 17th centuries.
• Although their logging activities had a significant and negative impact on the variety and quality of the surviving Krkonoše forests, the settlers certainly left behind some fine examples of Alpine folk architecture on the slopes above the Labe.
• The following (medium length) walk explores both sides of the Labe river valley, at the edge of the Krkonoše National Park between Vrchlabí and Špindlerův Mlýn. The route passes a number of photogenic old chalets, farms and two characteristic Krkonoše wooden bell towers (Zvoničky) built in the second half of the 17th century.
• The walk begins at the valley parking area for the Herlíkovice ski area and ascends a relatively steep path on the east side of the valley to the mountain hamlet of Herlíkovice. A flat section follows, with good views of the high mountains and the Labe valley, before the trail descends through the mountain village of Přední Labská (with its famous Zvonička)
• The route re-ascends the west flank of the valley to reach the popular snack bar/restaurant of Rovinka, located in a forest clearing at over 800m altitude. The route continues over the minor summit of Jánský vrch (925m) before returning to the valley floor on a winding trail through the spruce forest.
• Although this is not a difficult mountain walk, and the paths are not that steep, there is still 550m of height difference to tackle on this 12.5km circular walk. There are various refreshment options close to the ski area parking spots, as well as the Rovinka chalet on the mountain.

Note: click ‘Show on Mapy.com’  to go to a full screen version of the route directly on the mapy.com site. This can be used for on line navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file.

Directions

• Start the walk at the parking area used to serve the Herlíkovice ski area. It is reached on the main road between Vrchlabí and Přední Labská (turning off the main road to cross the Labe on a small bridge, just after passing the ski lifts, if travelling from Vrchlabí). There are regular buses to this parking area from Vrchlabí and Špindlerův Mlýn
• From the car park, take the the YELLOW trail in the direction of Hoř. Herlíkovice – kostel. The trail starts along the public but after 150m turns steeply up the hillside on a mountain track
• After 1.5 km reach the mountain hamlet of Herlíkovice and turn left onto the BLUE trail at the junction, heading in the direction of Přední Labská
• The signpost and wooden bell tower (Zvonička) of Přední Labská is reached after 2.8 km of relatively flat trail, which offers good views over the Labe valley
• At the Přední Labská signpost, turn onto the YELLOW trail in the direction of Bártlova lávka and descend the mountain on this trail for 1 km to reach the main road.
• Turn left on the main road, still following the YELLOW trail and after 200m cross the road and then the Labe on a footbridge
• Continue on the YELLOW trail as it climbs steadily up the mountain-side, passing another wooden bell tower to reach , after 2 km, the trail junction and mountain restaurant of Rovinka
• From Rovinka, take the RED trail in the direction of Žalý, passing over the gentle peak of Jánský vrch, before reaching the trail junction at Pod Zadním Žalým after 1.4 km
• At Pod Zadním Žalým turn left onto the YELLOW trail again and descend the mountain for 3.5 km to reach the Herlíkovice car park.