Wandering around Rotava

Rotava, a town with a rich industrial history, is not exactly among the most sought-after tourist destinations in the Ore Mountains. Today we will try to convince you that this neglect is quite unfair. Especially for tourists and nature lovers, the surroundings of the town offer a plethora of options for outings. Anyone who is not yet familiar with the area will be pleasantly surprised. So let's get started!
As mentioned earlier, the history of Rotava is closely linked to industry. Today, engineering dominates, but the town's beginnings are primarily associated with the ironworking tradition. The abundance of iron ore deposits in the surrounding area is evidenced by the name of the town, which is derived from the river of the same name called Rothau - "red water."

As the starting point of our trip, I choose the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, which was built here in Rotava between 1914 and 1925. It took a long time, but what can you expect when a world war intervenes in the construction of the church. A memorial to honor the victims of this war can be found near the church. From the church, we will follow the educational trail Rotavské varhany. This trail will lead us to the basalt massif, a unique natural monument.
From Rotavské varhany, we continue along the yellow tourist trail into Rosenthal (Rose Valley). The atmosphere of old times will engulf you here. Painted little cottages, the wild Rotava river beside them - one can easily daydream here... But we must go on; the yellow trail leads us along the Skřiváň brook until we reach the chapel of Saint Teresa of Avila. A bit further into the forest, there's the hidden hunting lodge, Favorit. It was built by František Antonín Nostic in 1769 for his fiancée. František Antonín Nostic left a significant mark in this area; he was an enlightened man and a great builder. He might be surprised today that the lodge is entirely closed to the public by its owner's decision. At least you can get a peek from the nearby road.

We continue from the lodge along the main road towards Šindelová, and after about half a kilometer, we turn left onto a forest path that leads us to a beautiful larch alley. Believe it or not, this is the work of the Nostics again. The eighty-four majestic trees will amaze you. We stroll through the alley and return to the road by a loop. We are now on the edge of Šindelová. Here we recommend at least two landmarks. One natural and one technical. The natural one is a stone mushroom, a granite block over three meters high, standing out in the surrounding terrain and is a visible landmark from a distance. The technical landmark is a 16th-century charcoal blast furnace, which was reconstructed and restored to its current form in 2020. It is definitely worth a visit.

We leave Šindelová and slowly make our way back to Rotava by road. At the Pod Rotavskou myslivnou junction, we rejoin the educational trail, which leads us back the same way, through Rotavské varhany, to the church where we began our journey. However, if anyone hasn't had enough yet, they can head right towards Komáří vrch from the junction, in the vicinity of which many rock formations with poetic names can be found. You can find, for example, Poor Bride, Count's Rock, and a bit further, Cat's Rock.

Hurray for the trip. We've had a decent walk. And we haven't seen nearly everything that the surroundings of Rotava have to offer. So maybe next time, we will head in another direction.

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