Familiarize Yourselves with Harrachov History
In the subconscious of the wide public Harrachov is long time known as the centre of winter sports. Harrachov is also the town where not only skiing has a long tradition here.
Before Harrachov became a famous ski resort, it had been renowned globally in another branch of industry, namely in the glass-making field. Next year the glass foundry will celebrate the 300th anniversary of its establishment. The Museum of Glass in Harrachov is therefore worth visiting. The Museum contains collection of historical glass produced by the Harrachov glass factory and is complex from historical and technological point of view. The exposition goes well together with presentation of the ski history in Harrachov in the Museum of Ski, being the integral part of the Museum of Glass mentioned above.
If you for instance decide to visit one of Harrachov dominants, the Mumlava Waterfall, one of the richest falls in water in the Czech Republic, you cannot miss the forestry and hunting exposition Šindelka above the bus station (blue-marked hiking trail). The forestry exposition is situated on the ground floor of the building and familiarizes visitors with the complex forestry issue, starting by forest stand logging, through skidding, stem removal and further processing and ending by subsequent forest regeneration and care of it. The hunting exposition on the first floor of the building is devoted to game keeping from the past till our days: it reminds for instance of the hunting traditions, the game, the hunting arms and dogs, the game management in art and in everyday life.
When returning back from the Mumlava Waterfall, the exposition mapping another part of Harrachov history is also worth mentioning. In the second part of the twentieth century Harrachov was also the miner's town, as ores and industrial minerals were extracted in the local mine. The Miner's Museum and the sightseeing gallery were open in March 2003 at the former gallery level. The Museum presents samples of minerals extracted from the fluorite deposits, tools and aids used for mining, maps and photographs documenting work in the local deposit.
The sightseeing gallery is ca 1000 m long, passes through the typical ore mine environment, is covered by crushed gravel and is lighted; the average annual temperature is 10–12°C (warmer clothing is recommended to the visitors). This exposition has a planned closure in April. The summer season starts in May here.
Opening hours:
Museum of Glass and Ski Mondays - Sundays 9:00 am till 5:00 pm
http://www.harrachov.com/en/accommodation/muzeum-skla-ski-muzeum-harrachov-317.html
Šindelka Tuesdays - Sundays 90:00am till noon and 1:00 pm till 5:00 pm
http://www.harrachov.com/en/accommodation/sindelka-harrachov-356.html