This area is near and dear to Michal’s heart and is where the family mountain cottage is located. In the middle of a ski slope in the protected area of Paseky is where we stayed for a few days to really get a feel for our new electric bikes.
The goal of this ride was to visit the place called “Protržená přehrada” (burst dam, point 5). There used to be a dam on the river Bílá Desná which was built during the world war I to prevent flooding. However just a year after finishing, the dam burst and villages under it were wiped out with 65 people losing their lives. The control tower of the dam is still standing (see pictures below) and the remnants of the dam became an interesting point to visit. The dam was never rebuilt, but the tunnel from there leads to a dam Souš, built at the same time as the dam mentioned above, but having a better fate.
Also, at point 5, you will see a building known as Kromerova bouda (Kromer’s hut). There you will find a very unusual feature outside the building – a self service beer and Kofola tap. (It was functional when we visited this place last summer, so no guarantee that it is still working now.) By the way, Kofola is a specific type of cola that it seems only Czechs drink. Although when you live in Prague long enough you might actually develop the taste for it as Polly did. She says it tastes like a mix of Coke, Sprite, Rootbeer and Dr. Pepper. Here you just pour your own drink from the tap and throw some money into the bucket close by. Obviously, people who reach this point are more than happy to pay for cool drink without even think of cheating the system.
We found a good place to start at the tiny restaurant and brewery (!) “Na Perlíčku”, called by locals prdek or prdeček (a little fart). You should definitely have a pint of their locally brewed beer. After a ride around Kapradník through the dense forest, you will cross a major road leading to Harrachov and follow road from Kořenov to Horní Polubný. This stretch of road you will use on the way back as well. After returning from burst dam you will ride along the lake Souš which is the source of drinking water for Desná and Tanvald. This flat piece of road is popular with rollerbladers and you will probably see some of them.
The red tourist marks will lead you from Souš (point 8) to Horní Polubný. After you emerge from riding through the forest, stop at the highest point and enjoy the panoramic view of Jizerské hory. When you reach Příchovice (point 10) you must ask yourself: “What do I know about Jára Cimrman”. If the answer is “Nothing”, then you have to visit Cimrman’s museum and lighthouse. It is marked on the map – Maják Járy Cimrmana. Cimrman (the greatest Czech inventor, musician and gynecologist) was wondering why countries without access to sea do not have lighthouses. So there is one right there! By the way, you can visit Cimrman’s theater in Prague, where some plays are performed in English. And Michal is promoting this theater, of which he is a honorary member, in his posts on SpottedByLocals website.
On the way back to where you started you can take a little side trip to the view tower Hvězda (star) to look at Jizerské hory from the other side.
https://mapy.cz/s/masahaguhe 37 km with 662 m elevation gain
