Vlčí jáma Mine

Welcome to one of the most remarkable natural and historical monuments in the whole Erzgebirge Mountains, near the picturesque village of Horní Blatná. You are standing right in front of a deep abyss and a settlement in a country whose raw and freezing atmosphere will consume you instantly. Look in front of you at the dark rock walls and the rubbers opening up to you like a huge blow to the earth's surface. Feel the cold air that blows out of here, and let this unique scenery, where human labor and the powerful force of nature mingle. The wolf pits you are now facing are made up of two parts, namely the Ice Pit and the Wolf Pit. These remarkable formations were not merely created by natural activities, but are the result of strenuous human labor from the Middle Ages, where people with great effort conquered valuable ore, namely tin ore. At the time, miners dug underground spaces, stalls and chambers, but time and hard mining took their toll. By the subsequent collapse of the ceilings of these underground spaces, the entire underground has fallen, and on the surface there have been these huge gaps and pits that you can admire today. Try to imagine the hundreds of hours of human labor in the darkness of the Underground, where the wealth of the region was more easily created. Today, the remains of these old mines are strictly monument protected to preserve them for future generations. Now pay attention to the details of the rocks and surrounding terrain, which are within your sight. Look at the rough worked stone, the walls of the abyss and a lot of rock rubble at the bottom. Do not look here for any decorated columns, windows or facades because the architect of this place was not a man with a drawing board, but centuries of mining and subsequent landslide. It's a raw industrial and natural monument in one. A special microclimate in these places creates conditions that you will not find anywhere else in the area. He kept snow and ice in the Ice Pit for a long time, even during the hottest summer months. The deep abyss holds the cold air inside and prevents its flow, so summer here loses its power. This place is also bound by very interesting historical events and stories that shaped its reputation. The memory takes us to the year eighteen hundred and thirteen, when the ice extracted from this pit was used for a very noble and worthy purpose. For he served in healing and alleviating the suffering of soldiers who suffered serious injuries in the bloody battle of Leipzig. Imagine the horses and chariots carrying the cool ice from the Erzgebirge Mountains far to the field hospitals to help save people's lives. Decades have passed, and people have continued to appreciate this natural rarity, which confirmed the date of September 5 in nineteen-seventy-five, when the Wolves were officially declared a protected natural monument by the District National Committee in Karlovy Vary. But protecting this place is also necessary because it is facing human numbness. An example is the year two thousand five, when the rare and fragile process of ice formation was seriously disrupted by the illegal delivery of nearly two tons of snow and ice by uninvited visitors, which shows how fragile this balance is. Let us now move on to the other interesting things that make this place absolutely rarity on a European scale. Did you know that Vlčí jáma is the only place in the whole country where a critically endangered species of moss is growing in the wild, bearing the name copper? This tiny but incredibly valuable plant species has found its home on the walls where it finds ideal conditions due to the presence of metals in the rock and a specific cold environment. Copper is such a silent witness to the uniqueness of this place, where geology, history and biology join together. Before we say good-bye to you, we advise you to carefully circumvent the edge of the abyss along the marked path and enjoy the views of the depths from different angles. Thank you for putting on your headphones and listening to our stories in this historic place. We hope that for you there was a walk around the Wolves' pits of enrichment and that you will continue to discover other beautiful corners of the Krusty Mountains. Have a nice and happy journey on your next wanderings.