Czech Republic


Area: 78,865 km2
Population: 10,330,000
Capital city: Prague
Official language Czech
Constitution: president - elected by bicameral parliament
Currency: 1 crown (CZK) = 100 hellers
Country identification mark CZ
Time Central Europian Time (GMT+1)

Climate

- temperate, four seasons, a mix of ocean and inland climate, changeable winters and warm summers
- average temperature: 9,7 °C 
- summer season - July 20 °C 
- winter season - January -2 °C

State and Public Holidays

1st January New Year´s Day Easter Monday
1st May May Day (Labour day)
8th May National day - Day of Liberation from Fascism, 1945
5th July National Day - Day of Slavic Missionaries Constantin and Methodius
6th July National Day - Master John Huss was burnt at the stake in Constance, 1415
28th September National Day - Day of the Czech State
28th October National Holiday - Foundation of Independent Czechoslovak State, 1918
17th October National Holiday - Day of the fight for freedom and democracy
24th December Christmas Eve
25th December Christmas Day
26th December Boxing Day

The Giant Mountains

  • the highest summits are Snezka 1,602 m a. s. l., Lucni hora 1,555 m a. s. l., Studnicni hora 1,554 m a. s. l. and Vysoke kolo 1,509 m a. s. l.
  • source area of the following rivers - CZ: Labe, Upa, Jizerka and Mumlava; in Poland: Uomnica and Kamienna
  • glacier pools - CZ: Mechove jezirko; in Poland: Wielki Staw, Maly Staw and Sniezne Stawki
  • waterfalls - CZ: Labsky vodopad, Pancavsky vodopad, Mumlavsky vodopad, Horni Upsky vodopad and Dolni Upsky vodopad; in Poland: wodospad Kamienczyka and wdsp. Szklarki Climate is cold and very humid; dominant direction of winds - west winds from the Atlantic; average temperature is from +6 °C to 0 °C
  • permanent snow cover - app. 7 months; average height of snow cover - 150-200 cm; number of avalanche trails - app. 50
  • number of vascular plants species - app. 1,200; dominant trees are Norway Spruce 87 %, Swiss Mountain Pine 6,9 %, European Beech 2,6 % and Larch 0,9 %
  • number of vertebrate species - app. 250; representatives of mammals - roe deer, red deer, fox, marten and badger
More info on: Krkonoše info pages 

Info about Janske Lazne

Mountain town, recreational centre and the only spa in the Czech part of the Giant mountains. The streams were founded in the 14th century. The founder of the spa was the count Jan Adolf Schwarzenberg in the 17th century. The big boom of spas continued from the middle of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. In the area where tha spa is, there occurs about 30 streams and many spa objects. Interesting are the spa colonnades from the end of the 19th century and a pseudo-gothic church of St. Jan Krtitel from the year 1885. Near the town towers the Black Mountain. On the slopes there is situated a famous ski centre. From Janske Lazne to the top of the Black Mountain goes the cableway.
Places of interest
  • Look-out tower Panorama in the Black Mountain (900 m from the hotel) there is an original pillar of the cableway in a distance of 100 m from the top station of the current cableway, in a direction to the ski lift Andel.
  • Modre kameny /Blue stones/ (6 km from the hotel) Modre kameny - a few quartz rocks in the southern shoulder of the Svetla Mountain, accessible from the touring sign routes. From the biggest rock there is a beautiful view to the countryside during nice weather. Nice view is in the east part of the Giant Mountains and Luciny. Note that during a strong wind you will have big troubles in this route.
  • Cernohorske raseliniste /peatbog/ (1 km from the hotel) The biggest forest peatland called "Cernohorske raseliniste" arised in the saddle between the Black and Svetla Mountains, approximately in 60 hectares, in the Giant Mountains.