Tourism Spindleruv Mlyn

Pančavský waterfall in the Giant Mountains

The highest waterfall in the Czech Republic, with a height of 148 m, rushes in several steps over a rocky slope from the edge of the Pančavská meadow to the bottom of the Elbe mine. It is located in the Krkonoše National Park, about 1 km south of Labská bouda.

Pančavský waterfall is one of the most impressive waterfalls in the Krkonoše Mountains. It is a typical cascading waterfall. It has four main stages, which are 36 m high, 39 m high, 23 m high and 20 m high. The width of the waterfall varies according to the amount of water flowing. It ranges between 4 and 8 m. You can find it 1 km south of Labská bouda, on the Pančavský brook. At the waterfall is the so-called Ambrožova vyhlídka, from which there is a nice view of Labský důl, Kozí hřbety, Kotel and Lysá hora. It is a typical waterfall created on the side wall of a glacial valley.

The name of the waterfall comes from the German term pantschen - splash. It is located on the Pančava creek in the Pančava pit, in the carous, upper part of the Elbe mine. Pančava is the first major tributary of the Elbe from the right side. Above the waterfall, by the road, is a memorial plaque of Otokar Štětka, Chief of the Giant Mountains Mountain Service (1916–1975). Pančavský waterfall is freely accessible all year round along the red tourist trail between Labská bouda and the Hanče and Vrbaty mound.

Interesting facts from history: in the past the waterfall was one of the most visited places in the Giant Mountains and due to tourists its flow was even artificially increased - the owner of the nearby Labská bouda Josef Schier set up a small reservoir with a sluice and a booth railing. At the bottom of the valley below the waterfall was a second, simple hut on the hiking trail, which Schier also acquired.

Refreshments were served here as well, and when enough paying tourists had gathered (for the price of 10 tailors or 15 phoenixes per person), the local staff gave a pipe to the staff upstairs to raise the sluice. Visitors saw the "improved" waterfall even in the summer season in the form it has for a long time only in the spring when the snow melts. However, this attraction disappeared in the 1930s, and with it a booth and an observation deck. Today's access is limited, as the waterfall is in the 1st zone of KRNAP. Only one, relatively short, uppermost part of the waterfall can be seen up close, from the viewpoint on the red-marked Buchar's path along the Elbe edge.

Pančavský waterfall in the Giant Mountains Photogallery

 

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