Table Of Content50 Years
of the KrKonoše Mountains
n a t i o n a l P a r K
50 Years of the Krkonoše Mountains national Park
Published by Krkonoše National Park administration in Vrchlabí in 2013
editor: © Jiří Bašta, Jan Štursa
Project leader: radek Drahný
Graphic design: GreenMango
Photos: © archive of Krkonoše National Park administration
© 2013 Krkonoše National Park administration,
Dobrovského 3, 543 01 Vrchlabí
www.krnap.cz
krkonose.krnap.cz
IsBN: 978-80-87706-36-7
50 Years
of the KrKonoše Mountains
n a t i o n a l P a r K
Contents
50 Years of Krkonoše Mountains national Park
Preface 1 (Jan Hřebačka) 6
Preface 2 (andrzej raj) 8
Krkonoše national Park 1963–2013 (Jiří Bašta) 10
an Inhabited Mountain range (from the Middle ages to the First World War) 10
Forty Four Pioneer Years (from the Founding of Czechoslovakia until 1962) 12
First Decade, First steps (1963-1973) 14
Building the Institution and the Collapse of Forest ecosystems (1974–1989) 19
renewal of the National Park and Visions for the Future (1990–2013) 41
references 61
Great Krkonoše Cases (Jan Štursa) 62
Modrý důl Valley 64
The Year 1968 in Krkonoše 70
Motorcycle Olympics 74
ascents of Mt. sněžka by Pioneers and Youth 80
The Labská and Luční bouda Chalets 84
Grousing over the Trails 90
Larch Bud Moths 94
The story of the spring anemones from Čertová zahrádka (Devil’s Gardens) 98
Mt. Lysá hora 102
Dwarf Pine versus Mat-grass 108
White and Green ski slopes 114
Obří bouda Chalet 120
across the Krkonoše Mountains by air? 124
scars on the slopes of the Krkonoše Mountains 128
Troubles of Two Old settlers 136
Heritage of the Krkonoše Farmers 142
Heads or Tails? 148
Friend or Foe? 154
70 km along the ridges of the Krkonoše Mountains 160
Mt. sněžka 166
On the relationships between Man and the Krkonoše Nature 180
Preface
Jan hřebačka
as I walk in the Krkonoše Mountains, I usually
find myself thinking about how these mountains
will look in the future. My thoughts mostly move
towards considerations on everything we should
do to ensure a problem-free future for the national
park and its natural values. However, this year is
different. Many times I have found myself thinking
about what it looked like here 50 years ago, when
the national park was founded. What problems our
colleagues had to face, the huge amount of work
they carried out, and the credit they deserve for
the fact that the Krkonoše nature has been care-
fully protected for half a century. There were many
problems and expectations, but certainly much
pleasure in their work too.
The first director, Miroslav Klapka began to build the
Krkonoše National Park along with a few experts. Their
work was pioneering and certainly deserves our admiration
today. Names such as Josef Fanta, eva Kalašová, Vladimír
Šatný, Václav Veselý, Zdena Beranová and Josef Horáček
will always remain connected to the early days of the KrNaP
administration and its operations.
as time went by, it became clearer that the establishment
of a national park had been necessary. The protection of
the unique Krkonoše nature had to overcome many difficult
8
obstacles, such as the development of tourism with- have experienced the most significant changes, with
out regard for the capacity of the territory, e.g. the a move away from traditional forestry management
construction of giant recreational buildings. Despite and towards near-natural methods, supporting natural
all the efforts of our colleagues, the face of Krkonoše processes, leaving part of the wood mass to rot, etc.
suffered more scars, but the worst was still to come. Together with many other influences, this is extremely
In the 1980s, Krkonoše was struck by an ecologi- beneficial for the development of biotopes and en-
cal catastrophe caused by acid rain. Thousands of dangered species, which are returning to Krkonoše in
hectares of predominantly spruce stands gradually relatively large numbers. sightings of Lynx, and even
died off and the prognosis was not at all favourable. Wolves and Otters, are now frequent. symbolically, the
Luckily, in connection with the changes in the politi- Three-toed Woodpecker and the Corn Bunting have
cal regime, there were also enormous changes in the returned to us after more than 50 years absence.
approach to environmental protection and the air pol- species which had never been observed in Krkonoše
lution load was reduced. Thanks to the selfless help before, such as the soprano Pipistrelle, are also ap-
from the Face foundation and Prof. Fanta, healthy pearing here.
forests are returning to Krkonoše. However, the land-
scape character of Krkonoše is again endangered by all of this is result of the work for nature which our col-
another massive wave of construction. although mis- leagues started 50 years ago, and which all employ-
takes were clearly made, Krkonoše has coped with ees of the KrNaP administration have continued ever
this pressure for more construction, thanks to the since. They deserve our great thanks. It is the result
existence of the national park. of many conflicts of opinion, but also of the respect
for the interests of nature protection by the towns and
since 1st January, 1994 the Krkonoše National Park villages in Krkonoše, as well as the local inhabitants
administration has also administered the forests. This and visitors. We hope for another 50 years of support
makes it easier to fulfil the mission of a national park. from the public.
The impact on the condition of the forest stands, and
especially on the methods applied in the forests, is Jan Hřebačka
indisputable. During the last twenty years the forests Director of the Krkonoše National Park administration
Mumlava Waterfall (photo radek Drahný)
9
Preface
andrzej raj
after I graduated from the Forestry Faculty at the
University of Life sciences in Poznań in 1983,
I decided to begin my professional career in the
Western sudetes. although I wanted to work in
national parks, fate played its role and I spent the
first 4 years in the state Forest Company. I remem-
ber these working years very positively, as I gained
my first experiences of caring for forest ecosystems
in montane conditions. The Krkonoše Mountains
were nearby and on frequent visits to the Góry
Kaczawskie Mountains, in the surroundings of
Bolków or Kaczorów; I could observe the beautiful
panorama of the Western sudetes with the high-
est belt of Krkonoše in the background. My love
of, and interest in, high mountain nature led to my
dream coming true when I started to work for the
Karkonoski Park Narodowy (KPN).
The early months, or even years, evoked many doubts,
sometimes even feelings of hopelessness. We observed
and endured the results of the ecological disasters which
afflicted the Krkonoše and Jizerské hory Mountains. The
theoretical knowledge gained from my studies and work in
the state Forest Company, were of little use in the organi-
sation of work in the field of nature protection in the park
and forest ecosystems. The variety and extent of the threats
were so serious, that it was necessary to get to know and
analyse them from scratch. I became convinced after
10
Description:n a t i o n a l P a r K Mt. sněžka. 166. On the relationships between Man and the
Krkonoše Nature. 180 .. Thanks to the efforts of the naturalists alois Zlatník,.
