Harrachov

Harrachov (; ) is a town in Jablonec nad Nisou District in the Liberec Region of the Czech Republic, close to the border with Poland. It has about 1,400 inhabitants. It is known as one of the most popular Czech ski resorts.

Administrative division

Harrachov consists of four municipal parts (in brackets population according to the 2021 census):

*Harrachov (503)
*Mýtiny (16)
*Nový Svět (788)
*Ryžoviště (39)

Geography

Harrachov is located about east of Jablonec nad Nisou, on the border with Poland. It lies in the Giant Mountains. The highest point is the mountain Luboch at above sea level. Part of the municipal territory belongs to Krkonoše National Park.

The Mumlava River flows through the town. Its confluence with the Jizera is situated on the municipal border. On the Mumlava there is the Mumlava Waterfall, the biggest and one of the most famous waterfalls in the Czech Republic. It has a flow rate of 800 L/s and a height of .

Climate

History

Harrachov was established in the 17th century, after a glassworks was founded in the area of Ryžoviště, and originally was called just ''Dörf'' (German for "little village"). During the rule of Count Ferdinand Bonaventura Harrach (1701–1706), the settlement was renamed ''Harrachsdorf'' in his honor. The first written mention of Harrachov is from 1720. After a glassworks was founded also in the area of Nový Svět in 1711, the importance of Harrachov grew. The settlements of Nový Svět and Ryžoviště were founded around the glassworks in the mid-18th century.

Since the end of the 19th century, Harrachov has been known for its glass production, textile industry, and mining. At the beginning of the 20th century, industrial production was bolstered by the construction of a cog railway line between Bohemian Tanvald via the Izera railway down to Silesian ''Hirschberg'' (present-day Jelenia Góra).

After World War II, the Silesian lands in the north fell to the Polish People's Republic according to the Potsdam Agreement and the border was closed. The German population was expelled and its property seized according to the Beneš decrees.

In 1958, the Communist governments of Czechoslovakia and Poland arranged a territorial exchange. Since the railway station located here was unusable for Poland after the interruption of cross-border traffic (the line to Jelenia Góra returned to Czechoslovak territory in a short section) and the local small settlements were almost inaccessible from the Polish side, the territories was exchanged. Czechoslovakia acquired the area around former ''Strickerhäuser'' (, present-day Mýtiny). Poland was compensated by land in western Giant Mountains. In this way Harrachov acquired a railway station.

In 1921, the originally independent municipalities of Nový Svět and Rýžoviště joined Harrachov. In 1961, Mýtiny joined Harrachov.

From 1 January 2021, Harrachov is no longer a part of Semily District and belongs to Jablonec nad Nisou District.

Demographics

Transport

The I/10 road (part of the European route E65 from Prague) passes through the town.

Harrachov is located on the railway line from Liberec to Szklarska Poręba.

There are three borders crossings with Poland: the railway crossing ''Harrachov / Jakuszyce'', the road border crossing ''Harrachov / Jakuszyce'', and the pedestrian border crossing ''Harrachov / Polana Jakuszycka''.

Sport

Harrachov is one of the most popular Czech ski resorts including the internationally used Čerťák ski jumping hill (including flying hill); several winter sport events take place in Harrachov regularly. The whole region is increasingly important for alpine tourism in Central Europe.

Sights

The most valuable building is the glass factory, founded in 1712. It is one of the longest-running glassworks in Bohemia that still uses most of the uniquely preserved historical machinery, which makes it an important technical monument. Its best-preserved part is the grinding plant, which is protected as a national cultural monument.

The main landmark of Harrachov is the Church of Saint Wenceslaus. It was built in the Neoclassical style in 1822–1828, on the site of a chapel from 1730 and a wooden church from 1788. The local glass factory took part in the decoration. The interior is equipped with a glass altar.

Twin towns – sister cities

Harrachov is twinned with:
* Frenštát pod Radhoštěm, Czech Republic

References

External links

*
Official tourist portal

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Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Ski areas and resorts in the Czech Republic