Journey through the Trutnov region with Emperor Joseph II.

Wandering with the emperor to Malá Úpa

The length of the road trip is about 30 km and can be driven by car or bicycle. Riding the bicycle, you must be aware of the surrounding busy traffic. The start is in Trutnov, and you go via Svoboda nad Úpou, Horní Maršov, Spálený Mlýn up to Malá Úpa and to Pomezní boudy.

1. Trutnov - today the visits of Joseph II. are commemorated by a bronze copy of the statue in Krakonoš Square. It was cast by a foundry in Horní Kalná according to the original, which is housed in the Podkrkonoší Museum in Trutnov.
2. Svoboda nad Úpou - in Svoboda nad Úpou you will find a Rococo style house, where Josef II. spent the night while inspecting battlefields of the “potato war”. However, it is not the only historic building in town. When visiting the town, you can see several of them. For example, a house with a mansard roof or one of the local oldest houses, today's Town Hall
3. Dolní Maršov – the owner of the paper mill in Maršov and patron Prosper Piette initiated the erection of a bronze bust of the emperor in a park in front of his newly built private school on August 28, 1881. Like most of Josef's monuments, it was swept away by a wave of anti-Habsburg euphoria after World War I. Today you will only find an abandoned pedestal in its place. Recently, the topography of Horní Maršov was enriched by the naming of the local road by Josef II Avenue. You will no longer see the Joseph II statue here, but you can visit or even hire the nearby Renaissance church rebuilt into its stone form by the important Italian architect Carlo Valmadi. The church burned down several times during its history and an unfortunate fate in the middle of the 20th century gradually began to take its toll. It was repaired with the help of the Horní Maršov village council. It was purchased for a symbolic price from the church, and with the help of Norwegian funds and the EEA was reconstructed and reopened in the summer of 2016. It was taken care of by the Centre for Ecological Education SEVER, which is open to the public in the former Baroque vicarage situated close to the church.
4. Spálený Mlýn – emperor Josef II. spent the night in Spálený Mlýn in 1779. Today you can refresh yourself here and recharge your batteries for mountain hikes. It is a crossroads of many tourist trails, such as the trail to a spring on the Long Ridge, which has retained the name Císařský (Emperor´s spring) among the locals, named after the Emperor Joseph II.
5. Horní Malá Úpa – the highest situated church in Bohemia was founded in Pomezní boudy by Joseph II and consecrated on 22 February 1791. Thanks to its location high on the ceiling arch between the presbytery and the nave of the Peter and Paul Church, an inscription with a painted Austrian eagle has been preserved here. Pomezní Boudy is also one of the starting points for the trip to the top of Sněžka. Lovers of winter and summer sports will enjoy themselves here while lovers of beer can taste beer from the local Trautenberk brewery.

Journey with the emperor to Vrchlabí

The length of the road trip is about 48 km and can be driven by car or bicycle. Riding the bicycle, you must be aware of the surrounding busy traffic. The start is in Trutnov and continues via Horní Žďár, Chotěvice and Hostinné to Vrchlabí.

1. Trutnov – today the bronze copy of the statue in Krakonoš Square commemorates the visits of Joseph II. It was cast by a foundry in Horní Kalná according to the original, which is housed in the Podkrkonoší Museum in Trutnov.
2. Horní Žďár - Josef II. visited Horní Žďár in 1778. He stopped briefly at the local school. However, the place is better known as scene of the battle of Žďár, which took place between the Prussian and Austrian armies in II. Silesian War of 1745. This is commemorated by the cross in nearby Střítěž in 2015.
3. Chotěvice – from the local church of St. Catherine, Joseph II. was observing camping Prussian troops, led by King Bedrich the Great. The Prussians repeatedly tried to occupy the church, but each time they were repulsed. Today, the Svatá Kateřina motor camp area is located in the places where the church used to be. You can have a snack here or greet exotic animals.
4. Hostinné – monument to Emperor Joseph II. is located on the Obránců Míru Square (Square of the Defenders of Freedom), in the park next to house No. 133. The life-size figure of the monarch looks down from a granite pedestal, where on the front and back are gilded inscriptions. When visiting the city at the turn of July and August, you can take part in the traditional Porcinkule fair, during which the giants come to life in the main square.
5. Vrchlabí – the plaque on the restored Kněžická chapel above Vrchlabí reminds us of the monarch´s visit to the local deanery. To mark the 100th anniversary of the abolition of serfdom and religious intolerance, a memorial was initiated by the German Readers' Association in Vrchlabí. It was unveiled on October 2, 1881 but removed after 1918. Those interested in the Krkonoše National Park will appreciate a visit to the KRTEK ecological centre. If you would like to see traditional crafts and the history of the town you can visit four gabled folk houses on Náměstí Míru square.

Journey with the emperor to Markoušovice

The length of the road trip is about 42 km and can be driven by car or bicycle. Riding the bicycle, you must be aware of the surrounding busy traffic.
The start is in Trutnov, and you go to Žacléř via Babí. During the trip you can visit the military fortification – Stacheberg. The journey then continues to Bernartice and Markoušovice.

1. Trutnov  – today the bronze copy of the statue in Krakonoš Square commemorates the visits of Joseph II. It was cast by a foundry in Horní Kalná according to the original, which is housed in the Podkrkonoší Museum in Trutnov.
2. Žacléř  – the column to Joseph II. can be found on Rýchorské square. A so-called “biscuit statuette”, a product of the local porcelain factory Th. Pohl, which is a part of permanent exhibition of Mr. Petira Porcelain Collection in the Žacléř Municipal Museum reminds us of the emperor. The museum also offers an exhibition on the mining history of Žacléř region, which is on display in the mining open-air museum, located in the former Jan Šverma coal mine in Žacléř. Worth visiting among other things is the educational trail J.A.Komenského, which will take you to the place called the Růžový palouček,(the Pink clearing) where the famous scholar left his homeland.
3. Bernartice  – metal statue of Joseph II. used to be in Bernartice because Bernartice branch school thanks to Joseph II was promoted and gained independence from Žacléř town. The statue is no longer standing here today. On the other hand, you will find a national technical monument here - a railway viaduct over the valley of the Líčná river, which was built between 1866 and 1868. It is 30 meters high. Worth mentioning is the Baroque Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary from the 17th century. The village is a starting point for tourist trips to the Vraní hory with the highest peak called Špičák (881m).
4. Markoušovice – you can see a colourful statue of Emperor Joseph II. on a private block of land near the cottage No. 95. Originally, a cast iron statue was made to celebrate the 100th anniversary of abolition of serfdom. From September 2, 1882, the statue was placed in front of the school in the lower part of the village. As a symbol of the Habsburg monarchy, it had to be removed forty years later in 1923. The locals placed it in the dark corner of the fire station, where it rested for 46 years. In 1969, when the fire station was sold to a private owner, the statue almost ended up in the metal recycling. In the end, it was saved from destruction and placed next to Mr. J. Laštovička’s cottage. He restored the statue in 2010 at his own expense. The lookout tower on the Markoušovice ridge and the slightly more distant Žaltman lookout tower offer fantastic views into the region.