Vanished villages of the Golden Mountains (Czech: Rychlebské hory)

„Start your trip in the village of Branná, where you can admire the local castle or château. It used to be a wealthy region, but after World War II the German inhabitants were displaced and the prospering area became a neglected piece of land. People, as well as about two dozen villages and settlements disappeared… This rather dismal fact gives a visit to this region a special atmosphere, which is a little depressing. Blue trail markers will take you to Staré Město under Králický Sněžník. Then there is a steep ascent up Kunčice Mountain. You will be accompanied by large piles of stones that remind us of the hard work of local people – in the past they collected all stones from their fields to make field work easier. The route will take you to the highest peak of the Golden Mountains called Smrk, a photogenic rock garden called Pasieczna or a vantage point called Kovadlina. Behind Špičák the trail will take you to Blueberry Hill (Czech: Borůvkový vrch), from where you will get to a large meadow. And this is where the mountain village of Hraničky, founded in 1785, was situated. After the war its inhabitants were displaced and the village remnants were dismantled and taken away by new inhabitants of the surrounding villages. As ordered by the communist government, engineers of the Czechoslovak People’s Army razed the village to the ground in 1959. Knowing this brings a special, depressing feeling. There is only one house left, which forest workman Franz Schlegel saved for his family. Although this story shows the sadder face of Czechoslovak history, the local countryside will captivate you with its unique beauty and you will be happy to come back.“