Stříbrné Hory: Silver history, bridge and hiking trails

Stříbrné Hory between silver history and hiking trails

Stříbrné Hory combines several very different travel experiences within a small area: a historically significant church, a stone bridge at the confluence of two rivers, traces of silver mining and marked hiking routes. If you would like to combine culture, landscape and activity during your stay, you can choose between historical discoveries and longer stretches of trail here.

The Church of Saint Catherine of Alexandria is first mentioned in writing in 1265. However, the document from that time indicates that it had already been built many years earlier. It was probably founded by German miners who extracted silver ore in its surroundings. The church therefore represents not only the religious history of the area, but also the mining tradition that shaped Stříbrné Hory.

Bridge and mining area

The Kamenný most stands near the confluence of the Borovský potok and the Sázava. Its construction is dated to the 14th or 15th century; the bridge is currently protected as a historic monument. Historically, it stood on the road to Polná, which was an important branch of the historic Haberská stezka. Its location therefore connects a specific landscape feature with the former importance of roads and trade routes.

The mining traces also tell the story of several centuries of local history. Work had demonstrably already been carried out in the Štola Rosa (Růženina) in 1503. According to the 1688 mine register, the adit was 104 metres long; according to a second mine register from 1691, it had been extended to 214 metres. The Štola Rosa is protected by the state and is not accessible to the public.

The Štola Peklo is a 527-metre-long mine adit with a flooded lower level. It was declared a state-protected monument in 1990, but is not accessible to the public. The Dolní Dvůr site belongs to a silver-mining area with the Pekelská štola, the Růženina štola, as well as remnants of mining pits and spoil heaps.

Hiking with different route profiles

For longer hiking plans, the red-marked Cesta Karla Havlíčka Borovského is a suitable choice. It leads from Havlíčkův Brod through Stříbrné Hory, Žižkovo Pole, Havlíčkova Borová and Krucemburk to Kameničky, and from there continues to Kutná Hora. In 1935, the route was the first hiking trail marked by the Klub českých turistů. Its course is therefore particularly suitable for travellers who would like to incorporate Stříbrné Hory into a long-distance hike.

More compact in design is the 13-kilometre Krajem husitů hiking route. It leads from Pohled through Stříbrné Hory, Pod Kateřinou and Žižkovo Pole with the Žižkova mohyla to Přibyslav. One route connects the town with a longer historic long-distance trail, while the other passes through several stops.

Getting there and finding your way during your stay

Stříbrné Hory railway station is located on line 250 between Havlíčkův Brod and Tišnov or Brno. Access to the Pekelská štola is via a field track that branches off to the left from the Stříbrné Hory–Přibyslav road approximately 0.5 kilometres beyond Stříbrné Hory. Since the Štola Peklo is not open to the public, this information should be understood as a description of the mining site's location, not as an assurance that it can be visited.

For further research, you can also look at Pohled, Bačkov, Modlíkov, Břevnice, Uhelná Příbram, Hostačov, Vez-Skala and Podmoklany.

For the overview of the wider area: Havlíčkův Brod District.