Educational Trail through Vrchlabi

1.8 km

1 hrs

Do you have a spare hour of time and want to take a walk through the centre of this submontane town on the River Labe (the Elbe)? The educational trail through Vrchlabi will take you to the most beautiful places in the town of Vrchlabi – the gateway to the Krkonose Mts. You can take a stroll along the River Labe quay, and visit two museums and two beautiful churches. You can relax, sitting in the palace park or the monastery garden.

Pick up a brochure and go

The green-marked educational trail begins at the town centre, next to the historical townhall. This now houses the Krkonose Regional Tourist Information Centre, where you can draw inspiration for other trips and hikes. The trail continues down Krkonosska St. to one of the oldest houses in the town. There you turn off and walk along Marie Kubatova quay, and then continue past the Strelnice culture centre, well-known from Milos Forman’s famous movie “The Firemen’s Ball”, to one of the town’s landmarks, the Church of St. Lawrence.

Just opposite the church are the Four Historical Houses, rare examples of the original municipal buildings, today housing exhibitions of the Krkonose Museum. The trail continues to the Augustinian monastery, which dates back to the 18th century and where you will also find the Visitor Centre of the Krkonossky National Park. The beautiful Baroque monastery church is only open to the public in summer, while the monastery garden is open all year round. Here you can try the haptic path, walking barefoot on a variety of surfaces, such as pinecones, pebbles, bark, etc., and see old apple varieties and an open-air geological exhibition. The trail will take you back to the town centre on a comfortable walk through the palace park, where you can enjoy a view of Vrchlabi’s palace.

Step by step

Townhall

The Baroque townhall with a clock tower in the gable is the landmark of the main square. The bell hanging on the front facade was used in emergencies as well as on festive occasions. The townhall, one of the first stone buildings in the town, was completed by the builder Jan Jiri Seehak in 1737. The ground floor was occupied by a pub and the municipality used a large meeting hall on the first floor. The building was repaired in 1927 and given a Neo-Renaissance look following a design by architect Hans Knoll. The ground floor now houses the Regional Tourist Information Centre.

House with Seven Gables

One of the oldest private houses in Vrchlabi, it looks like a rural chalet adapted to life in the town.

Marie Kubatova Quay on the River Elbe

The Labe (the Elbe), one of Europe’s greatest rivers, rises in the Krkonose ridges, in a place called Labska louka. Vrchlabi is the first larger and historical town on its course. In the town, the river is still a mountain stream that provides an extraordinary setting for formerly the first settlement of the locals, today a centre of civic life for the highest and most frequently visited Czech mountains.

This pleasant quay and riverbank was built in 2017 on the site of a demolished factory. Today it is a relaxation as well as meeting place, a spot for fairs or smaller concerts, and was named after the well-known writer Marie Kubatova (1922–2013), one of the Krkonose’s most popular authors who also wrote many fairytales.

Kartonka 1904 Cinema

Formerly a cardboard factory, known as “kartonka”, until recently a theatre club has now been changed into a new digital cinema, seating some 80 people in a hall with comfortable chairs.

Strelnice Culture Centre

This culture centre, especially its main hall, was made famous in 1967 by the globally acclaimed movie director Milos Forman, who chose it as the setting for his famous movie “Hori, ma panenko” (known as The Firemen’s Ball). This bitter comedy, depicting a peculiar ball for firemen, was nominated for an Oscar in 1968. Milos Forman successfully revealed the roots of human nature, and the movie gives a certain distorted-mirror view of late-1960s Czech society.

Church of St. Lawrence

This church was built in the Neo-Gothic style by a local builder, Eduard Zirm, on the site of a 14th century single-nave Gothic church, following a project by architect Stephan Tragl of Prague. The construction took place in 1886–1889.

Four historical houses

This complex of three gabled houses features some of the oldest folk buildings in the Krkonose region and is a rare example of original town buildings.

Augustinian monastery

The Augustinian monastery in Vrchlabi was established in 1705 following an initiative by the House of Morzin. The Augustinian Monastery has served visitors for many years to help them learn about the beauty and richness of the Krkonose Mts. as the seat of the Krkonose Museum as well as the Visitor Centre of the Krkonossky National Park.

Palace

The Renaissance palace which replaced the former Gothic moated fort was completed in 1546 as the seat of Krystof Gendorf of Gendorf. An unknown architect used the layout of an Italian castello (small fortress or stronghold). The building, originally surrounded by a 12m wide moat and accessible by three bridges.