Horní Alberice – Trails, Landscape and History

Horní Albeřice combines the landscape of the Krkonoše Mountains with an unusually tangible local history. Between quarries, marked trails and the Vápenka Museum, a destination emerges where nature and culture cannot be viewed separately. If you are looking for a place with a character of its own for your stay, here your attention is drawn equally to the landscape and to the history of Horní Albeřice.

History at the Vápenka Museum

Using short stories and extensive visual material, the Vápenka Museum presents seven centuries of life in the Albeřice Valley. It is housed in an octagonal stone tower belonging to a shaft lime kiln from the 19th century in Horní Albeřice. The museum site thus also reveals the former importance of lime: in the 19th century, the extraction of limestone and the burning of lime in Horní Albeřice made a significant contribution to people’s livelihoods.

The settlement itself also dates back a long way. Horní Albeřice is one of the oldest settlements in the Krkonoše Mountains and was first mentioned as early as the late 13th century. Horní Albeřice is also the only place in the Krkonoše Mountains to have preserved the so-called lánové hospodářství. To visit the exhibition, you can borrow the keys daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the reception of Penzion Vápenka, Horní Albeřice 13. Admission to the Vápenka Museum exhibition is free.

Quarries and Protected Landscape

The Vápenka Museum is located in Zone I of Krkonoše National Park, in the Horní Albeřice municipal district. In the surrounding area, the Albeřice Quarries provide a habitat for protected limestone-loving plants and animals. Bishop’s Quarry is a deep open-pit quarry where the temperature remains around 7°C even in summer. Albeřická Cave contains an underground lake approximately 15 metres deep. These places demonstrate different forms of the landscape: open quarry areas, a deep open-pit quarry and an underground cavity with a permanently cool environment.

Marked Trails for Different Seasons

The Krkonošská magistrála cross-country skiing route runs through Horní Albeřice between Lysečinská bouda and Rýchorská bouda. Another connection is the red-marked Cesta bratří Čapků trail, which leads from Pomezní Boudy via Lysečiny, Horní Albeřice and Trutnov to Úpice. In summer, this route can be used by bicycle, and in winter on cross-country skis. Short detours from the Cesta bratří Čapků lead to the Vápenka Museum, connecting an active route with a cultural visit.

A route from Černá hora via Albeřice to Malá Úpa reaches Horní Albeřice after a quieter section through forests and meadows. Depending on how you wish to plan your day, you can therefore find marked trails, winter cross-country connections, forest and meadow sections, as well as insights into the history of the settlement.

For the broader travel overview: Horní Marsov.