technical monuments jablonec nad nisou technical monuments Introduction IntroductIon This brochure is based on an on-site survey of the technical monuments and points of interest in the Jizera Mountains tourism region which took place within the framework of the “Jablonec as the Tourism Cen- tre of the Jizera Mountains” project in 2009. The main goal of this brochure is to inform visitors of some of the interesting and publicly accessible sites in the region. The technical monuments and points of interest are described using routes which offer the option of walking and cycle trips, as well as trips by car. The routes not only draw atten- tion to industrial structures built predominantly in the 19th century, but also to points of technical interest such as lookout towers, hydraulic structures, reservoirs, water turbines, technical museums and outdoor museums, windmills and power stations, historical railway lines, mili- tary fortifications and so on. The routes have been proposed in such a way so that visitors can not only become acquainted with the techni- cal attractions, but also with all the natural beauty which the Jizera Mountains tourist region offers. All that remains is to wish everybody, who takes these trips, a pleasant journey. This project has been co-financed by the European Union from the Eu- ropean Fund for Regional Development. technical monuments A technical paradise at the Jizera Mountains A technIcAl pArAdIse At the JIzerA Mountains This “technical paradise” awaits you in Bílý Potok on the River Smědá, which for years has turned the wheels of turbines and powered the machines in a spinning mill at the edge of the Jizera Mountains. (Not only people of a technical mind will be pleased by the gems which can be seen there.) Ludvíkov pod Smrkem Lázně Libverda Bílý Potok If you come to Bílý Potok from Hejnice, you cannot miss the building of the former spinning mill along the left-hand side of the road. At present, the factory facilities are being operated by Pavel Šercl, who has a go-cart engineering plant there and is preparing the exhibitions for a museum which should be opened within two years. The newly arising Jizera Mountain Technical Museum (Jizerskohorské tech- nické museum) will endeavour to preserve the cultural and technical heritage in the area of the history of combustion engines, by means of which it will endeavour to acquaint visitors with the history of the development of technology during the course of the twentieth century. At present, it is possible to arrange group visits to the factory area with Mr Šercl (tel. 737 439 683, [email protected]). A tour may last from several minutes through to a half-day excursion. The entrance free is voluntary and there is much to see there. technical monuments A technical paradise at the Jizera Mountains At the beginning of this factory’s era, a mechanical wool weaving mill was established on a headrace from the River Smědá. The three-storey masonry building with a wooden roof was built according to the plans of the Frýdlant architect, Josef Niesser. Twenty years later, the operations were changed to those of a cotton mill. However, it burnt down in 1913 and only the 44 metre high chimney remained. Five workers died during the fire and one arborvitae tree for each them now stands in front of the spinning mill. In the same year, the factory rose from the ashes and it was even expanded to include another storey and a six-floor staircase tower with a tank for the fire extinguishing system. The Zittau architect, Hein- rich Zieger, was involved in the reconstruction and overall harmonisation of the facades in their yellow-grey colour combination. This spinning mill was equipped with a Breitfeld–Daněk steam boiler from 1907. It was dismantled in 1953, but thanks to the enthusiasm and skill of the own- ers, the steam engine has been reassembled. There is also a plan for the renewal of the Francis turbine which was in operation there from 1929, but was decommissioned in the 1960s. After a visit to the former spinning mill, you can go on a walk in the mountains and climb up the highest mountain in the Jizera Mountains, where there has been a new, twenty-metre high, metal lookout tow- er since 2003. It replaced the wooden lookout tower which had stood on Smrk since 1892. The carpenter who made the lookout tower, Franz Fritsch, administered both the tower and the adjacent hiking cha- let. The wooden structure on Smrk lasted for 55 years. If you would like to see what it looked like, you can see it in the Prague zoological gardens where it was erected in 2009. One of the variants for a visit to Smrk is to go via the Paličník look- out , which is accessible by following the yellow-marked walking track from Bílý Potok and then the blue-marked track. The way back is the same at the start (along the blue-marked track), but then you can choose to head back along the red-marked track to the Hubertka 1 2 1 > The interior of the former weaving mill in Bílý Potok 2 > The former weaving mill (the future Jizera Mountains Museum) technical monuments A technical paradise at the Jizera Mountains Chalet from the “Heavenly Ladder” (Nebeský žebřík) intersection. You will come back to your starting point along an asphalt road which is marked with green signs. The entire circuit is 16 km long and it is designated for fitter walkers, because it involves overcoming a sig- nificant elevation. A shorter variant with the option of a visit to Lázně Libverda is 12 km long and not as demanding. Leave the yellow-marked walking track at the Bartl Hut (Bartlova bouda) and turn left along the green-marked track to the Hubertka Chalet (chata Hubertka), which was built in 1907. From this chalet, you can go to the Kočičí kameny lookout which is only a couple of hundred metres distant. Continue along the red- marked track to Lázně Libverda, where you can relax in the shade of the spa colonnade dating from the first half of the 19th century. There are a number of classicist and Empire-style spa pavilions in the immediate environs. The monument which was built at the end of the chestnut avenue (formerly the spa promenade) behind the château building is certainly worth a visit. This monument was built by Christian Philip Clam-Gallas in 1790 in memory of the doctors who first recom- mended this beneficial spring. At present, we can only imagine what a walk along this now partially overgrown avenue, at whose end rose the Founders’ Monument (Pomník zakladatelů), which nowadays only very distantly recalls the former lustre of these places, would have looked like. To the right of it, you will find another large monument which was dedicated to Arch-Duke Karl in 1802. At present, it is in poor condition and is hidden by dense vegetation. The route back leads along the same track as you came on. You can find more information at: www.fabriky.cz. (The text is based on information from the Research Centre for Indus- trial Heritage) 1 1 > The colonnade in Lázně Libverda technical monuments how people lived how people lIved This route will take you to places which bring the history of the local region back to life. If you are interested in how people lived in previous centuries, what tools they used and what life in a village involved, you have here a unique op- portunity to experience the atmosphere of the period before the Industrial Revolution. Bulovka Horní Řasnice Jindřichovice Dolní pod Smrkem Řasnice Nové Město Krásný pod Smrkem Les Frýdlant Ludvíkov pod Smrkem Lázně Raspenava Libverda A living outdoor museum , which has beenHejnice founded by the Lunaria citizens’ association, is situated in Jindřichovice pod Smrkem. At the edge of Jindřichovice, you will see a newly built, half-timbered house which is typical for this region and next to it also an original building, which is at present partially occupied by part of the museum and is par- tially residential. Within the framework of the living outdoor museum, you can also admire varied meadows and pastures for the original do- mestic animals which live there. In the middle of the pasture, there is a stone windmill with a turbine. An exhibition of all the windmills in the Czech Republic can be seen there. In particular, however, the mill serves the purpose of grinding cereal crops. The museum will show you many different machines and tools which were used almost daily in the previous century, but which nowadays almost nobody would know how to use. The citizens of the outdoor museum do know, however, because they use many of the displayed tools and equipment today not only to work in the fields, but also in the smithy which they have there. The museum also includes the sale of local products. There is also the possibility of stopping in the bookshop with ecological, spiritual and beautiful literature. The outdoor museum is open from April to September, Tuesday to Sunday, from 10.00 am to technical monuments how people lived 5.00 pm and at the same times from Friday to Sunday from October to March. You will be able to find information on the amount of the en- trance fee and the cultural and other events held there on the website at www.lunaria-jindrichovice.cz. The Teaching Trail through the Environs of Jindřichovice (naučná stezka okolím Jindřichovice) starts in front of the outdoor museum. This trail will take you through the area’s natural, technical and historical nooks.