To the top of the rocky cliff to see the ruins of Krupka CastleFirst, we will visit the castle rising above the town of Krupka reminding us of ancient times. We will park in front of the castle and then pass through a magnificent entry gate . Now, we are ready to face our next adventure. Krupka was built in the 14th century, probably by Jan of Luxembourg, as part of border fortifications to protect the town from neighbouring Saxony. But during the 17th century, the fortress was no longer used for defensive or residential purposes. Its fame and popularity was not reinstated until Romanticism took over, when the grounds of the castle was used by spa guests for relaxing walks. It was named, due to the many roses that grew in the castle garden – Rosenberg. Also the famous J.W. Goethe visited the castle. Currently, the Rosenberg Castle is holding an exhibition of archaeological artifacts and the Knight'sHall is used as a wedding ceremony hall. Krupka Castle is an ideal place for romantic walksoffering distant views of the Teplice region and its surrounding slopes. We will also find a hotel and a restaurant here, where we may replenish our energy necessary for our next trip.
To the interior of Komáří hůrka and a meeting with the famous Permon the Elf - the gallery of Old Martin After a romantic introduction we are going up towards Komáří hůrka and approaching the gallery ofOld Martin . Here we may admire various mining equipment including the mine train, which our children will appreciate the most. After thorough examination of all the mining technology, which is presented to visitors in the area behind the road, we will take a guided tour into the cold darkness of the mine illuminated only by light from our mining helmets. During the tour, we will learn more about the digging processused to dig long mining tunnels and about how to reinforce the tunnel and will compare the past and the present development of the mining technology. We will also discover characteristic sections with mineral layers and I d secondary karst-like decorations, which over the long decades and centuries developed into small stalactite-like ornamentations. If we are lucky, perhaps we will see Permon the good elf from the ore mountains. Permon the Elf, according to the legend, appeared to a miner and helped him to find a metal ore deposit and thus made him rich To the oldest viewing post in the Krušné Mountains, the Komáří hůrka Cool and dark corridors are long gone and our trip is about to end but before we we finish our trip we must go to see a viewing post on the top of Komáří hůrka. On the top of Komáří hůrka we will find the oldest viewing post in the Krušné Mountains, which was turned into a hotel called the Komáří Tower. Driving is not permitted here, so we have to walk through the last section on an asphalt road. Even though the tower is inaccessible, the restaurant or the viewing terrace offer beautiful panoramic views in all directions. The 807 m high Komáří Hůrka is the dominating sight of the east ridge of the Krušné Mountains, where also the town of Krupka, mentioned earlier, is located, right at the foothill of the mountains. Living conditions on tops of mountains have always been very hard, but despite that, several settlements were established here in the past, where miners and craft workers focusing on mining and processing of tin ore worked and lived. Since the twentieth century, Komáří Hůrka has been a tourist site. It offers not only spectacular views of the surrounding countryside, but also ideal conditions for summer and winter tourism, a ski resort with two ski lifts and ski slopes, well-maintained ski tracks and bike trails. Many visitors take acable chair lift to the top of Krupka. The chair lift was built between 1950 and 1952 and was the longest lift in Central Europe. Its length is 2,348 m, elevation 482 m and the pleasant ride takes only a quarter of an hour.
