Großhammer between the Jizera Mountains and industrial history

Großhammer (Velké Hamry) lies on the southeastern edge of the Jizera Mountains. The Kamenice River flows through the town, while the 787-metre-high Muchov has been developed as a natural viewpoint. From there, views extend over the Jizera Mountains, the Giant Mountains, the Ještěd Ridge and the Bohemian Paradise. This gives the town a combination of landscape experiences and an unusually varied history.

Trails, rocks and viewpoints

A footpath leads from Svárov through Parýz, along the valley of the Ješkrabec stream, to Rejdice. For another connection, you can walk from Velké Hamry to Tanvald. The route avoids heavy road traffic either via Popelnice or through the forest above the railway line via Marjánka. The two directions provide a clear point of reference when you want to include nature and neighbouring places in your plans.

Distinctive rocks shape the landscape around Muchov. They consist of two-mica granite, known as Tanvald granite. Another viewpoint is the Terezínka rock lookout, which can be reached from the Kamenice Valley. Fifty-five steps lead to it; at the top, views open up over the ridges of the Jizera Mountains. Muchov and Terezínka thus represent two different viewpoint experiences: a 787-metre-high natural vantage point and a rock lookout.

Cultural monuments and traces of local history

In Velké Hamry II, a Saint Wenceslas Chapel from the 18th century is one of the preserved historic monuments. The late Baroque niche chapel stands at the turnoff from the main road to Muchov. In Mezivodí, there is also the Pietà, an artistically and culturally valuable monument of a folk character, which is listed in the central register of immovable cultural monuments. The life-size Pietà ensemble stands among chestnut trees opposite the factory.

The Svárov Strike Monument commemorates the textile workers’ strike of 1870. It was erected in 1963 and is protected as a cultural monument. The town’s former names also point to its working tradition: Hamersko, Dolení Hamr and Hoření Hamr are derived from iron hammers that probably stood there in the 13th and 14th centuries.

The spinning mill in Mezivodí, formerly Liebigovy závody, is another historical point of reference. Construction began in 1907, operations started in 1908, and the building retains its original appearance. The history is not limited to industrial buildings, however: Christmas and Easter Masses are held annually in the Chapel of Saint Anne, a Mass commemorating Jan Hus takes place on 5 July, and a children’s choir gives a Christmas concert every year. Masses are regularly celebrated in the Church of Saint Wenceslas.

Discover technology and plan your stay

The Energy Museum is located on the grounds of the Miček carpentry workshop at Bohdalovice 79, Velké Hamry–Mezivodí. It displays a Francis boiler turbine with a generator from 1907, a model biogas plant, and various turbines and generators shown in cutaway form. The exhibition is complemented by practical demonstrations of renewable energy generation and educational programmes for schools. This makes it possible to plan a stay in Großhammer around landscapes, local history and illustrative technology.

The two-storey corner house near the square also provides an architectural accent. Its floor plan is L-shaped, and the roofs are gabled. A notable feature is the shallow, tower-like, two-storey bay window on volute brackets with a sheet-metal onion dome.

For further orientation in the surrounding area, you can find Josefsthal, Wlastiborsch, Jistebsko, Reichenau, Koberwald, Friedrichswald, Albrechtsdorf and Plaw here.

For the higher-level travel overview: Okres Jablonec Nad Nisou.