On your wanderings around Špindlerův Mlýn and its surroundings, you will meet a number of signs and indicators that you probably haven't met before. Therefore, let us familiarize you with some of them.
Silent signs
The silent marks of the Krkonoše Mountains, also called "muttichovky", are tourist orientation marks carved from sheet metal into the appropriate shape and painted red. They are usually placed on top of a wooden rod of the Krkonoše rod marking. Their purpose is to ensure the visibility of road markings even in poor visibility or icing, where common signs may not be legible or even detectable.
Significant mountain huts, peaks, settlements and other places (total 30 buildings) in the Giant Mountains have their own red symbol. Here we mention only those that are located near Špindlerův Mlýn.
Silent brands have been in use since 1923. They were created by Kamil Vladislav Muttich (sometimes mistakenly referred as Kamil Vlastimil Muttich) (1873–1924), an academic painter and skier, founder of the Himalaja Ski Association in Mladá Boleslav.
Since the 19th century, so-called belt marking has been used in the Czech Republic for marking hiking trails.
The color of the middle strip of the marker has nothing to do with the difficulty of the route, but with its meaning:
red: long-distance or ridge route
blue: more significant route
green: local route
yellow: short route, connecting route, abbreviation
In I. and II. national park zone it is forbidden to go outside the marked routes. For better orientation on routes especially in bad weather or in winter also serves silent signs and bar markings.
Marking of cycling routes KRNAP
In the area of the National Park of Krkonoše and its protection zone, a system of terrain routes suitable for mountain bikes is built. It is marked with wooden engraved pictograms and maintained by the KRNAP Administration.
Marking of cycling routes KČT
In lower altitudes - exclusively on local roads and less frequented roads, cycling routes KČT continue to Podkrkonoší and Jizerské hory. These routes are interconnected by the long-distance arterial road Jizerské hory - Krkonoše - Jeseníky marked KČT 22. In the most easten parts of the territory (Rychor) you can find on the local roads specifically marked paths of the Žacléřsko microregion (colored points; own microregion of the microregion). For the KČT and the Žacléřsko microregion, a trekking bikes are recommended.
Border marking
The main Krkonoše ridge lies on the Czech-Polish border. The boundary stone or the boundary is usually a concrete or stone block protruding from the ground and indicating a point on the state border between neighboring states. On the sides of the boundary stone there are letters indicating to which state the respective side of the state border belongs - on the Czech side "C" to the Polish "P". Usually the boundary is formed directly by the connection of individual stones.
The Czech border stones are numbered and this marking you can find, for example in the maps of the Czech Tourist Club, which makes orientation along the border easier.
In winter, of course, there are many border landmarks under snow, but you will find some even at high snow cover.
Krkonoše National Park
The green sign with the Czech national emblem marks the boundaries of the Krkonoše National Park (Krnap) in the terrain. The purpose of the park is to protect the unique landscape of the Krkonoše Mountains.
The National Park is divided into three zones - Zone I (most strictly protected), II. zone and peripheral. I. and II. the zone is also marked with signs in the terrain (see picture). In I. and II. There are very limited tourist activities in the park area, for example, it is not allowed to cycle outside the marked cycling routes and to walk outside the marked hiking trails.
MaB - Man and the Biosphere
In 1992, both national parks (on the Czech and Polish sides) were jointly included by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the Man and the Biosphere Network of Biosphere Reserves. Therefore today you can find the abbreviation MaB - the brand of this project on the Krnap emblem and on the signs in the field. The Biosphere Reserve is a large area declared under this international UNESCO program. The world network of biosphere reserves is spread to include all the Earth's basic biomes. These areas represent representative examples of cultural and natural landscapes in which man and his activities play an important role. Most of the biosphere reserves include not only naturally close areas, but also areas marked by human activity - in the Krkonoše Mountains we can find both types of areas. This makes it possible to study the interrelationships between man and the natural environment and to promote biodiversity enhancement in such areas.
