Janske Lazne

Janske Lazne is a small spa town on the southern side of the Krkonose, using thermal springs known since the fourteenth century and specialising since the 1930s in rehabilitation of children and adults after polio and other neurological conditions - the Vesna children's sanatorium here was a national institution. Above it, a cabin lift climbs Cerna hora to about thirteen hundred metres, giving access to the ridge, the peat bogs on the plateau and, in winter, the ski area. Near the top station stands the Stezka korunami stromu, a treetop walkway opened in 2017: a rising timber and steel structure of around fifteen hundred metres of ramp spiralling up to a tower forty-five metres above the forest floor, with a slide down the middle for those who want it, and a view over the Krkonose. It is wheelchair-accessible the whole way.

History

The name means "Jan's spa", after Jan of Chockov, who according to the chronicle of Simon Hüttel found the hot spring here on 6 June 1006. The warm water first drove a water wheel working a hammer mill; bathing in it is first recorded in the 14th century, and a lodging house was built beside the spring in 1485. A village was founded here in 1675-1680 on the orders of Johann Adolf of Schwarzenberg; it became a market town in 1881, the municipality bought the spa in 1902, and it was made a town in 1965. The first funicular up Černá hora was built in 1928 and replaced by a new one on a different route in 1980 (Wikipedia, Janské Lázně).

The main sights

• A treetop walkway - about 1,500 metres of ramp spiralling to a tower above the forest.
• A cabin lift to 1,300 metres - up Cerna hora to the ridge and the plateau bogs.
• A rehabilitation spa - thermal springs used for neurological treatment since the 1930s.
• A slide down the tower - for anyone who prefers not to walk back.

When to go

June to September, or the ski season. A day.

Things to know

The walkway is ticketed on top of the lift fare and both are seasonal in operation. Very busy in school holidays. Treatments are for referred patients. The lift stops in high wind.

Nearby

Snezka and Pec pod Snezkou are north; Trutnov is south-east.

Key facts