Smrk (Jizera)
Encyclopedia
Smrk is the highest mountain in the Jizera Mountains
of the Czech Republic
at 1124 m (3,687.7 ft). "The King of the Jizera mountains" lies south of Nové Město pod Smrkem
. On the eastern rim of the plateau is the boundary with Poland
, the Polish summit is 1123 m (3,684.4 ft) high.
The summit offers a panoramic view to the prominent Sněžka peak of the Krkonoše range in the east, as well as to the Lusatian Highlands beyond the German
border in the west up to the Boxberg Power Station
.
n, Silesia
n and Bohemia
n lands of the Bohemian Crown
. Between the 1742 Treaty of Breslau
and the 1815 Congress of Vienna
it was also the tripoint between the Electorate of Saxony
, the Kingdom of Prussia
and the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy
.
The mountain got its name from a once mighty spruce
tree that sat near landmark No. 111. After the Imperial
generalissimo Albrecht von Wallenstein
had been elevated to a Duke of Friedland
, he nailed his coat of arms
to it in 1628. This tree was uprooted, in 1790, by a storm.
On 21 August 1892, the first wooden observation tower
, which was 20 m (65.6 ft) high, was built atop Tafelfichte. The shelter used to house the construction workers was converted, after the tower's construction, to a cottage
. Until 1935, up to 18,000 people per year visited the mountain.
After World War II
the local German population was expelled
and the cottage was deserted and looted. The abandoned cottage fell into disrepair and the tower collapsed in the 1950s. Over the following decades forest dieback
, from parasites or acid rain, has cleared the peak of the mountain to the point where it is largely bare.
After the 1989 Velvet Revolution
, plans were made to build a new tower. In 2002, construction began and on September 18, 2003 another 20 m (65.6 ft) high tower, this time made with steel, was inaugurated. In June 2009, a replica of the 19th century wooden tower was erected at the Prague Zoo
.
In 1909, a memorial stone honoring the German poet Theodor Körner
was erected at the summit to commemorate his stay a hundred years before.
Jizera Mountains
Jizera Mountains , or Izera Mountains, are part of the Western Sudetes on the border between the Czech Republic and Poland. The major part is formed from granite, with some areas formed from basalt. The mountains got their name from the Jizera River, which rises at the southern base of Smrk...
of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
at 1124 m (3,687.7 ft). "The King of the Jizera mountains" lies south of Nové Město pod Smrkem
Nové Mesto pod Smrkem
Nové Město pod Smrkem is a small town in the Czech Republic, four kilometers from the border with Poland. It has 4,050 inhabitants.- People :...
. On the eastern rim of the plateau is the boundary with Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, the Polish summit is 1123 m (3,684.4 ft) high.
The summit offers a panoramic view to the prominent Sněžka peak of the Krkonoše range in the east, as well as to the Lusatian Highlands beyond the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
border in the west up to the Boxberg Power Station
Boxberg Power Station
Boxberg Power Station is a lignite-fired power station with three units at Boxberg , Saxony. Since the late nineties it produces 1900 MW...
.
History
The Tabulový kámen (Tafelstein), a stone monument, is found on the slope of Smrk. Since the Middle Ages it has formed the tripoint between the historic Upper LusatiaUpper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia is a region a biggest part of which belongs to Saxony, a small eastern part belongs to Poland, the northern part to Brandenburg. In Saxony, Upper Lusatia comprises roughly the districts of Bautzen and Görlitz , in Brandenburg the southern part of district Oberspreewald-Lausitz...
n, Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
n and Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
n lands of the Bohemian Crown
Lands of the Bohemian Crown
The Lands of the Bohemian Crown , also called the Lands of the Crown of Saint Wenceslas or simply the Bohemian Crown or Czech Crown lands , refers to the area connected by feudal relations under the joint rule of the Bohemian kings...
. Between the 1742 Treaty of Breslau
Treaty of Breslau
The Treaty of Breslau was a preliminary peace agreement signed on 11 June 1742 following long negotiations at the Silesian capital Wrocław by emissaries of Archduchess Maria Theresa of Austria and King Frederick II of Prussia ending the First Silesian War....
and the 1815 Congress of Vienna
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna from September, 1814 to June, 1815. The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars,...
it was also the tripoint between the Electorate of Saxony
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
, the Kingdom of Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
and the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
.
The mountain got its name from a once mighty spruce
Spruce
A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
tree that sat near landmark No. 111. After the Imperial
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
generalissimo Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht von Wallenstein
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein , actually von Waldstein, was a Bohemian soldier and politician, who offered his services, and an army of 30,000 to 100,000 men during the Danish period of the Thirty Years' War , to the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II...
had been elevated to a Duke of Friedland
Duchy of Friedland
Duchy of Friedland was a de-facto sovereign duchy in Bohemia. It was created in 1627 and disappeared in 1634, after death of the ruler, Albrecht von Wallenstein...
, he nailed his coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
to it in 1628. This tree was uprooted, in 1790, by a storm.
On 21 August 1892, the first wooden observation tower
Observation tower
An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision. They are usually at least tall and made from stone, iron, and wood. Many modern towers are also used as TV towers, restaurants, or churches...
, which was 20 m (65.6 ft) high, was built atop Tafelfichte. The shelter used to house the construction workers was converted, after the tower's construction, to a cottage
Cottage
__toc__In modern usage, a cottage is usually a modest, often cozy dwelling, typically in a rural or semi-rural location. However there are cottage-style dwellings in cities, and in places such as Canada the term exists with no connotations of size at all...
. Until 1935, up to 18,000 people per year visited the mountain.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the local German population was expelled
Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia
The expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia after World War II was part of a series of evacuations and expulsions of Germans from Central and Eastern Europe during and after World War II....
and the cottage was deserted and looted. The abandoned cottage fell into disrepair and the tower collapsed in the 1950s. Over the following decades forest dieback
Forest dieback
Forest dieback is a condition in trees or woody plants in which peripheral parts are killed, either by parasites or due to conditions like acid rain and drought....
, from parasites or acid rain, has cleared the peak of the mountain to the point where it is largely bare.
After the 1989 Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
, plans were made to build a new tower. In 2002, construction began and on September 18, 2003 another 20 m (65.6 ft) high tower, this time made with steel, was inaugurated. In June 2009, a replica of the 19th century wooden tower was erected at the Prague Zoo
Prague Zoo
Prague Zoo is a zoo in Prague, Czech Republic. It was opened in 1931 with the goal to "advance the study of zoology, protect wildlife, and educate the public" in the district of Troja in the north of Prague. The zoo occupies 45 hectares and houses about 4,400 animals that represent 670 species...
.
In 1909, a memorial stone honoring the German poet Theodor Körner
Theodor Körner (author)
Karl Theodor Körner was a German poet and soldier. After some time in Vienna, where he wrote some light comedies and other works, he became a soldier and joined the German uprising against Napoleon...
was erected at the summit to commemorate his stay a hundred years before.
Climbing routes
- A good starting point is the town of Lázně LibverdaLázne LibverdaLázně Libverda is a spa village in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. It has cca 440 inhabitants.-External links:* * *...
(Bad Liebwerda) that is the source of a red-marked trail to the summit. - The ascent from the Polish town of Świeradów-ZdrójSwieradów-ZdrójŚwieradów-Zdrój is a spa town in Lubań County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland near the border with the Czech Republic. The town is located in the Kwisa valley of the Jizera Mountains, a part of the Sudetes range. It lies approximately south of Lubań, and west of the...
(Bad Flinsberg) is as steep over Stóg Izerski (Heufuder) to the summit. - Another convenient route is from the inn Smědava (Wittighaus) for 7 km along a red flag. Only the last portion is steeply uphill.