Sněžka-Śnieżka: Encyclopedia II - Sněžka-Śnieżka - History

Sněžka-Śnieżka - History

Initially called Pahrbek Sněžný in Czech, it was renamed Sněžovka, with the eventual name Sněžka, meaning "snowy" or "snow covered" adopted in 1823.

The first historical account of an ascent to the peak is in 1456, by an unknown Venetian merchant searching for precious stones. The first settlements on the mountain soon appeared, being primarily mining communities, tapping into its deposits of copper, iron and arsenic. The mining shafts, totalling 1.5 km in length, remain preserved to this day.

The first building on the mountaintop was the chapel of St. Vavřinec, built circa 1665-1681, serving also as an inn for a brief period of time. A hut (bouda in Czech) was built on the Polish side in 1850, followed by one on the Czech side in 1868, both built with the purpose of providing lodging. The Polish hut has been since rebuilt twice after falling victim to fire.

A wooden weather station was built on the mountaintop circa 1900, being the only such station in Central Europe remaining intact after World War II. It was demolished in the 1980s.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "History", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki