Through the defunct villages and mines around Přebuzi

Our journey began at the parking lot by the Přebuz pond, where you can park comfortably and for free. In the summer, we highly recommend it as a stop for swimming, and fishing enthusiasts will also enjoy it (of course, after purchasing a permit at the Přebuz Municipal Office).
From the parking lot, we headed a short distance along the road towards Rotava, following the namesake stream. After a while, it was possible to step off the road and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

On the right side of the road, we crossed a small bridge marked with a yellow tourist sign. Immediately after the bridge, we were intrigued by an unnaturally but charmingly rolling clearing, which seemed to long for some buildings. And indeed, there used to be some. The original settlement of Mlýnské chalupy stood here. The Mlýnské chalupy lived up to their name. During its existence, there were three mills for grain and groats. Additionally, there was a sawmill and a factory producing mother-of-pearl buttons, which operated until 1946. It is hard to imagine that in the midst of dense forests, 73 inhabitants once lived here.

A few hundred meters further along the road, we came across the Břídlová shelter, which has seating and a small fire pit. However, what caught our attention the most was a very old chestnut tree standing on old foundations, looking like it was from another world. And in a way, it is from another world. It reminds us of another defunct village, Břídlová. The German name "Schieferhütten" indicates that "slate huts" once stood here. Břídlová used to have a pub, a glassworks, and young livestock breeding, which formed a small estate managed by glassmaker master Jiří Ziegner in the 17th century. In the 19th century, a school was established here. However, this infrastructure did not save the village from extinction - in the 1950s, the local population was evacuated.

If we had continued further along the road, we would have reached Čertovo Hill. But we returned to the Y-shaped intersection and turned left onto a paved gravel road, which led us to the former Otto mine. The extraction of minerals was very significant for the settlement of the Ore Mountains. Mining continued here until the end of World War II.

The path led us to a pony farm, which is the edge of the village Přebuz. However, we avoided Přebuz for a moment and headed northwest across a meadow from the ponies, where we anticipated our last destination - the defunct Ritter mine. This tin mine was opened from 1909 to 1914 as Frischglück (Fresh Luck). It was later renamed Ritter mine. Interestingly, part of the building is being reused today, as suggested by the new plastic windows.

Finally, we walked through the village of Přebuz, turning left by the chapel, past the pub (which we have never seen open, although it apparently operates), the municipal office, and to the Church of Saint Bartholomew, which is a cultural monument. Interestingly, next to the church, the old rectory has been preserved, a baroque building on the site of the original old rectory documented in 1567. We continued along the road, past the cemetery, back to the familiar parking lot by the Přebuz pond. The journey took us 2 hours of leisurely walking. The route is just over 6 km long.

• Print page