Spindleruv Mlyn

Spindleruv Mlyn sits at about seven hundred metres where the Labe and the Dolsky brook meet, in a narrow valley under the Krkonose ridge, and it is the largest mountain resort in the country: two linked ski areas on Medvedin and Svaty Petr with lifts to around thirteen hundred metres, the longest season in the Czech mountains, and a full resort infrastructure of hotels, restaurants and bars along the valley. In summer the same lifts serve walkers and mountain bikers, and the ridge routes start from the top - the Elbe spring, the Pancava waterfall, Snezka and the Labe valley are all reached from here. Everything above the resort is national park with strict zoning, so trails are marked and leaving them is prohibited. The valley gets extremely busy in both seasons and the traffic in and out on winter weekends is the resort's standing complaint.

History

The name, "Špindler's mill", comes from a mill of the Špindler family that was moved between the settlements of Bedřichov, Labská and Svatý Petr in 1765: locals signed a request to the authorities "written at Špindler's mill", the authorities took it for the name of a new municipality, and when the scattered settlements were merged the name stuck. The forested area was not settled until the 16th century, when prospectors and then miners of silver and iron ore came, and miners and lumberjacks from the Alps built huts, raised cattle and cleared the meadows that still break the forest. In the 18th century much of the forest belonged to the Habsburg minister Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau, after whom Bedřichov is named; the Harrachs founded mountain huts across the range, and Count Jan Nepomuk František Harrach (1828-1909) laid out a tourist route through the village and created the first nature reserve in the Giant Mountains, in the Labský důl. After four travellers stayed here in 1865, locals began enlarging the huts and building trails, the road from Vrchlabí of 1872 brought many more visitors, and in 1909 an electric sledge lift, one of the first in Europe, made the place's name as a winter resort (Wikipedia, Špindlerův Mlýn).

What's there

• The largest ski area in the country - Medvedin and Svaty Petr linked, to 1,300 metres.
• A valley resort - hotels and restaurants strung along the Labe below the ridge.
• Ridge access in summer - the Elbe spring, Pancava and Snezka reached from the lifts.
• Strict national park zoning - marked trails only above the resort.

When to go

December to March, or June to September. Two days.

Things to know

Very crowded in both seasons, with heavy traffic in and out on winter weekends and paid parking throughout. Prices are the highest in the Czech mountains. Leaving marked trails in the park is prohibited and fined.

Nearby

The Elbe spring and Pancava waterfall are above; Vrchlabi is down the valley.