Harrachov

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Statistics
Area:	36.6 km²
Population:	1,700 (2004)
Map

Harrachov (German: Harrachsdorf) is a town on the Mumlava river in the northern Czech Republic, four km from the border with Poland. It is within the Krkonoše mountain range, about 700 metres above sea level.

[edit] History

The first written reference dates back to the 17th century, when German-speaking settlers founded a village Dörfel there. In 1714 it was renamed Harrachsdorf after a local noble landowner, Count Harrach. Since the end of 19th century Harrachsdorf has been known for its glassworks production, textile industry, and mining. At the beginning of the 20th century, the industrial production has been bolstered by construction of railway line between Bohemian Tannwald (Tanvald) and Silesian Hirschberg (Jelenia Góra). The fact that the nearest stop, Silesian Strickerhäuser (after 1945: Tkacze, after 1959: Mýtiny) was behind the Austro-Hungarian border was not a major obstacle at that time.

After the Second World War, Silesia was acquired by Poland and the border was closed. Trains from Tanvald had to terminate in Kořenov, trains from Jelenia Góra were terminated in Jakuszyce (former Jakobsthal), on the northern side of the Novosvětský pass.

Instead of opening the border, the communist governments of Czechoslovakia and Poland mastered a territory exchange. In 1959, Czechoslovakia acquired the area around Mýtiny, that allowed it to extend the cog railway Tanvald-Kořenov to the outskirts of Harrachov, Poland was compensated by land to the north from Mrtvý vrch. Harrachov, joined by originally independent settlements Nový Svět and Rýžoviště, became a town in 1973.

[edit] Today

Harrachov is one of the most important Czech centres of mountain hiking and skiing; several winter sport events take place in Harrachov regularly. The whole region is of increasing importance for alpine tourism in Central Europe. Located near the Elbe river's source in the Krkonoše, it is known for its internationally used ski jumping facilities.

The international road E-65 (from Prague to Poland) goes through the town. There is a border crossing between Harrachov and Poland at Jakuszyce.