Water Trail through the City Park

Old ponds

In 2020, two ponds were restored, which were built here a hundred years ago by the original Beautification and Gardening Association. They were once connected by a wooden bridge, decorated with stone gargoyles and flowering rockeries. Today, their appearance is more modest, but all the more natural. The ponds are filled with water from winter rains and melting snow, reminding us how little it takes to retain water so that it remains in the park until the end of summer. Water also flows into the pond from the new Patronka spring. Why Patronka? A patron was found at the site of the water house. The ponds are stocked with newts from a nearby domestic pool. Hopefully, they will like it here...

The pond at the end of the park

An unusually massive dam rests on a bridge, over which water used to flow from time to time, filling the cellars of the cottages below. You will only see the sparkling water surface for part of the year, in spring and during the summer torrential rains. Even today, these rains can raise the water level so high that it "flows over the dam," but without destructive force. The pond thus functions as a kind of reservoir, a waterworks that captures and slowly releases wild floodwaters. Its spring water level can become a suitable breeding ground for some frog species.

Pools for dragonflies

Two pools can be found above the City Park in the reeds, at the end of a boundary lined with a newly planted row of fruit trees. In spring, simple wooden walkways make it easier to reach the pools. And the nature trail markings discourage trampling on the flowering meadows, which are carefully managed by local farmers. We were pleasantly surprised by the originally densely overgrown reeds. After carefully excavating almost a meter of reed roots, we discovered a richly gushing water source that remains here throughout the year. Thanks to this, both the large and small pools are always lively. Hoofprints in the mud remind us that deer drink here, small birds regularly fly here, and a shrike watches for its insect prey from its observation post on a bush. The names of the creatures living by the pools can be found on the educational panel.

If you need advice or more information, stop by the information center for a brochure with a map of the route

The Water Trail for locals and visitors was built by the Vrchlabí Beautification Association together with the Krkonoše Regional Tourist Information Center. The project was supported by Škoda Auto from the Tady jsem doma (This is my home) grant program and the city of Vrchlabí.