CZ PL

Špindlerův Mlýn Info Center

Comprehensive information in one place … The Tourist Information Center in Špindlerův Mlýn in the city hall building is the source of all the answers to your questions about Špindlerův Mlýn and its surroundings.

5 minutes

Next point in the direction Podgorzyna

Location:

Špindlerův Mlýn is located at an altitude of 575 - 1555 m on the Elbe River. The town itself with the adjacent valleys has an area of 7,690.91 ha. The highest point of the village is Luční hora, which is also the second highest point in the Czech Republic.

History of the city

The history of the town dates back to the end of the 16th century, when the first settlers arrived here. They made their living as miners extracting ores, woodcutters and hut builders. Špindlerův Mlýn was made up of several scattered settlements - the names of some have survived to this day and designate parts of Špindlerův Mlýn: Krausovy boudy, Bedřichov and Svatý Petr, Přední Labská, Klínové boudy, Sedmidolí. These settlements were united in 1854 into an independent municipality of Svatý Petr. However, Špindlerův Mlýn did not become a town until 1961 and was given a coat of arms in 1974.

Why is Špindlerův Mlýn called Špindlerův Mlýn?

Even a master carpenter gets cut sometimes...

This happened thanks to a clerical error. The local highlanders longed for their own church and parish, as the local chapel hosted services only three times a year and the church in Vrchlabí was difficult to access due to the road not yet existing at that time.
So they met in the mill of the miller Špindler and wrote a request to the emperor. In addition to their signatures, they also indicated the place where the request was written, i.e. Špindlerův Mlýn. Similar names were common in German-speaking countries, and so a permit to build a church for the village of Špindlerův Mlýn was delivered back. The warning about the error could be understood as an insult to the imperial office and the imperial majesty, and therefore the locals preferred to accept the new name of the village.

Welcome to Špindlerův Mlýn

To the border::

5.6 km and elevation gain 504 m, time approx. 2.5 hours
Podgorzyny::

17 km and elevation gain 615 m, time approx. 6 hours

Tourism with a long tradition

In the 19th century, tourism boomed, and Špindlerův Mlýn was transformed from a metallurgical area into a recreational area. Initially, tourists stayed here mainly in the summer, in the local air spas. The popularity of the winter season began to increase with the flourishing of skiing.

Mecca of skiing

Skis arrived in the Krkonoše Mountains thanks to Count Harrach around 1892. They originally served as a work tool for the count's forestry staff, but it didn't take long for skis to gain their enthusiasts among ordinary people.

Skis cost 11 gulden at the time, which, to put it in perspective, was almost half of a craftsman's monthly salary.