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An easy 11 km walk from Špindlerův Mlýn; the Harrachova cesta along the Labe

  • The Labe (or Elbe as it becomes in Germany) is the most important river in the Czech Republic. Its drainage basin (which includes those of the Labe’s major Czech tributaries) encompasses almost the entire territory of Bohemia. For millennia, the Labe – which is navigable from Prague to the North Sea – has been the most significant transport and trade route into and out of the country.
  • The Labe begins its thousand kilometer journey to the North Sea on the slopes above the Krkonoše mountain village of Špindlerův Mlýn, the Czech Republic’s most famous ski resort. A series of streams and waterfalls cascade down the mountainside from an altitude of around 1400m, joining together above the village to form the fledgling river.
  • By the time the Labe reaches Špindlerův Mlýn, it is already a ferocious mountain river. It is not hard to imagine why a local miller, Spindler, relocated his mill here in 1765. The melting snow must have powered a seriously impressive water wheel. Sadly, Spindler’s mill disappeared long ago, but we can still enjoy the cascades of the young river as it weaves along the Labský důl.
  • The path along the Labe, which starts in the village centre, is called the Harrachova cesta. It was created in 1879 by Count Jan Harrach in recognition of the growing attraction of the area for tourism at the end of the 19th century. Harrachov’s trail is the oldest in the Krkonoše mountains and it leads up to the source of the Labe at 1386m.
  • The first section of the route (5.5 km in length), up to the point where the Pudlava stream joins the Labe, is paved and easily navigated with a stroller (outside the winter months). In winter, the path becomes a cross country ski trail but it is usually still accessible for pedestrians throughout the winter months. This is a super opportunity to enjoy the shady forest landscape of Labský důl, where the trees are often laden with snow. Above the Pudlava junction the trail becomes a steeper mountain footpath and in winter this upper section is exposed to avalanches.
  • The 11 km ‘there and back’ trip to the Pudlava junction involves 180m of ascent/descent, none of of which is steep. The trip can be shortened at any point, as the return path is the same as the outbound route. For refreshments on the journey, the popular restaurant of Myslivna is located just off the trail, 2 km from the centre of the village.

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 Špindlerův Mlýn main square
  • Take the BLUE trail in the direction of Medvědín, following the course of the Labe river, past the chair lift station
  • After 2km the trail reaches the point where the Labe is joined by the Bílé Labe stream (the Pod Dívčí strání junction). Here there is a bridge over the Labe, and the Myslivna restaurant is on the far side
  • Continue on the same BLUE trail in the direction of Labská bouda. After a further 3.5 km the trail reaches the end of the paved section at the Labský důl – Pudlava trail signpost
  • Return back to Špindlerův Mlýn on the same path
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