Horní Město: Silver Mine, Churches and Nature

Horní Město between silver mining and the highlands

Horní Město combines an unusual underground experience with sacred art and protected landscapes. The town lies on the boundary between Hrubý Jeseník and Nízký Jeseník at an altitude of 570 to 700 metres. When choosing your accommodation, the desired mix is therefore the main consideration: you can explore historical traces of mining, admire church art or follow paths along the Huntava stream and through the surrounding countryside.

Stříbrný důl: mining history right in the town

The medieval Stříbrný důl silver mine is located directly in Horní Město. It is considered a unique site representing silver and iron-ore mining from the end of the 15th to the end of the 19th century. Horní Město itself was established in the 16th century near silver mines; the town’s history is therefore not merely a museum subject but is directly connected with its origins.

The tour route in Stříbrný důl includes approximately 450 metres of accessible galleries and three mining chambers. The experience particularly includes climbing ladders, which makes the visit distinctly different from an ordinary tour. A reservation in the reservation system is required to visit the underground area. Anyone planning to include this activity should therefore take the reservation into account before making specific plans for the day.

Church art in Horní Město and Skály

Horní Město’s long history is also told above ground. The Church of St Mary Magdalene was built of stone in 1611 and 1612. Inside is an altarpiece painted by Jan Kryštof Handke in 1768. There are also two wooden galleries arranged one above the other, decorated with ornaments and scenes from the Stations of the Cross. The church interior thus offers several specific details worthy of attention during a culturally focused stay.

The Skály district of Horní Město is also home to a church dedicated to St Wenceslas, dating from 1812. It too contains a painting by Jan Kryštof Handke. Together with St Mary Magdalene, it forms a cultural focal point that complements the mining history with historic religious buildings and regional art.

Forest paths, a peat bog and waterfalls

From Skály or Horní Město, an approximately 3-kilometre forest walk leads along the Huntava stream to the Rešovské Waterfalls. The route connects the town with a landscape in which water visibly shapes the character of the surroundings. The protected Rešovské Waterfalls area lies in the municipalities of Horní Město and Tvrdkov, including the cadastral area of Rešov. It protects a deeply incised rocky gorge with the natural course of the Huntava stream, waterfalls and numerous rapids.

Skalské rašeliniště, a protected natural area of approximately 20 hectares in the headwaters of the Huntava stream, lies north of Horní Město. Protected plant species grow there. Access leads across pastureland and may not be possible during grazing periods. This specific distinction is more important when planning a nature trip than a general description of the landscape: depending on the period, access to the area may be restricted.

Choose accommodation according to your preferred travel theme

Horní Město is particularly suitable as a destination if you do not want to separate culture from the landscape. Stříbrný důl and the churches represent different types of experience in and around the town, while the forest path to the Rešovské Waterfalls and the protected natural areas provide another focus. Visitor information for Stříbrný důl states that travelling by car is the easiest option; alternatively, it is possible to travel by bus or by a combination of bus and train.

More places

Janov U Krnova, Sucha Rudna, Oborná, Vysoká, Vrbno Pod Pradedem, Dívčí Hrad, Bohušov and Slezská Harta.

Back to the higher-level travel overview: Bruntál District.