Schlaggenwald – Mining History and Cultural Heritage

Schlaggenwald (Horní Slavkov) lies in the northern half of the Slavkovský les Protected Landscape Area, also known as the Kaiserwald. The town’s history is closely linked to mining: a mining colony established near an older miners’ settlement at the beginning of the 13th century developed into a small town after Saxon miners arrived around 1335. For a historically focused stay, the sites and buildings that have been preserved offer different ways to explore this development.

From Mining Settlement to Royal Mining Town

In 1547, Schlaggenwald was granted the status of a royal mining town. The early settlement, the arrival of the miners and this later status mark different stages in the town’s history. Together, they provide a timeline for its mining heritage, which can also be traced through its technical installations and buildings.

Dlouhá stoka is an artificial water channel that was newly constructed and extended between 1531 and 1536. Above Schlaggenwald, it formed a water system with branch channels and several ponds, enabling mining operations in the district. Timber was also floated along the canal to supply the mines. The water supply and timber transport illustrate two distinct tasks that were important to historic mining operations.

The Kašpars Pluh adit is also part of this history: it was used to drain the historic silver and tin mining district. Together with Dlouhá stoka, it illustrates how varied the technical challenges of mining were—draining water in one case, supplying the facilities with water and timber in the other.

Museums and Buildings

The Ležnický open-air museum is housed in the renovated former farmhouse “U Weiglů” in Ležnice, house number 810. Its exhibition areas include historic living quarters, a primary-school classroom and an exhibition of agricultural machinery. This broadens the focus beyond mining to include everyday life and working history.

The Muzeum Horní Slavkov is housed in a converted building at number 211 on Pluhova Street. The two institutions have different emphases: the Ležnický open-air museum focuses on the home, school and agricultural topics described above, while the museum bears the name of the mining town. Visitors interested in the region’s past can distinguish between these subjects when exploring the town’s history, rather than reducing it to mining alone.

The Church of St George, together with the cemetery, cemetery wall, bell tower and deanery building, forms a historic heritage complex. The church itself features defensive elements, including three towers with loopholes. The complex thus brings together several components of a historic church precinct, while its defensive details form a distinct architectural theme.

Landscape and Thematic Orientation

The Uranová Golgota educational trail presents the mining history of Horní Slavkov and the surrounding area, particularly uranium mining in the 1950s. A description published in 2020 notes that route information may no longer be up to date; check it before setting out. This keeps the trail’s historical focus separate from the question of whether individual route details are still suitable for your visit.

When choosing a hotel stay, the thematic focus may be decisive: Schlaggenwald combines mining history with water engineering, museum exhibits and distinctive church architecture. If you are primarily interested in technical history, Dlouhá stoka and the adit represent different functions of the mining district. If you would also like to include everyday history, the exhibitions at the Ležnický open-air museum offer an additional perspective. The town’s location in the Slavkovský les Protected Landscape Area (Kaiserwald) is also worth considering when choosing your destination.

Discover more destinations: Teschwitz, Josefsdorf, Falkenau An Der Eger, Lanz, Maria Kulm, Bleistadt, Schindlwald, Königswerth.

View the overview of the wider region: Falkenau An Der Eger District.