Bleistadt: Nature Trail, Viewpoint and Mining History

Bleistadt (Oloví) combines marked trails with the Cibulka lookout tower and a varied architectural and mining history. To plan your trip, you can choose between the Oloví nature trail, a marked route to the lookout tower and the “Okolo Oloví” circular route. Churches, chapels and information about mining add a range of cultural and historical themes to the views and trails.

Nature Trail, Viewpoint and Circular Route

The Oloví nature trail is marked with information boards and ceramic directional arrows. All variants of the nature trail end on Šibeniční vrch, by the Cibulka lookout tower. A marked route leads from the Church of St Michael the Archangel in Oloví to the lookout tower. It is about 2.3 km long and follows the blue markings at first, then the yellow ones.

The Cibulka lookout tower is freely accessible year-round. From the tower, you can see in all directions; sights include the town of Oloví, the ridges of the Ore Mountains, the Sokolov Basin, the Slavkov Forest and the Smrčiny hills with Zelená hora. The viewpoint thus offers views of both Oloví and several named landscape areas.

Another option is the marked “Okolo Oloví” circular route: it is 16.4 km long and rated moderate. On the way back to Oloví railway station, it follows a cycle route. Compared with the approximately 2.3 km route to the lookout tower, the circular route is considerably longer. Check trail conditions locally before setting out on this loop.

Churches, Chapels and Mining History

The Church of St Michael the Archangel is a Neo-Gothic building constructed between 1901 and 1902 by master builder Emil Litka from Sokolov. It is designated an architectural monument. The church also houses a rare 15th-century Gothic statue of the Madonna. Its construction period, monument status and older sculpture each highlight a different aspect of local cultural history.

The Chapel of St Joseph dates from around 1550 and recalls Oloví’s former mining industry. Its history also includes a later reconstruction: after work began in 2004, the chapel was rebuilt from its remaining foundation walls.

The Chapel of the Holy Trinity is an artificial grotto made from slag from the former ironworks in Rotava. It served as a small pilgrimage site for Oloví, Libnov, Dolina, Krajková and Hřebeny. Its origins in a former industrial material set it apart from the town’s other chapels.

Technical aspects of mining are also among the local themes. The St Anna drainage adit drained large parts of the summit areas of Eisenberg and Röflerberg. At the “Geologické metamorfózy” station, visitors learn how miners followed ore veins from the valley and drove adits with a slight gradient to allow water to drain. The station also describes blue-grey galena crystals, which are rarely found embedded in white-grey quartz. The site thus presents both the function of the adits and a geological perspective.

Discover more destinations: Frühbuß, Königswerth, Douglasgrün, Josefsdorf, Brösau, Stríbrná, Maria Kulm, Schindlwald

For the main travel overview: Falkenau an der Eger District.