Change coming to Krkonoše

Mountaineers, tourists and preservationists are working together to find a sustainable model for the Czech Republic's most popular mountains.

For a long time now, it is looking more and more as though Krkonoše mountains are transforming into a sort of strange housing development. The view of mountain peaks is being obscured by conglomerations of high-end apartment buildings. International tourists are leaving because in many pubs waiters are brazenly charging the same price for watered-down coffee what their somewhat more gracious colleagues in the Alps would charge for a decent espresso.

The worry that the specatacular natural surroundings will become little more than a stage set for dodgy development plans, however, might be unwarranted for the time being. New people at local town halls are talking to the directors of Krkonoše's national park and to locals about the future of the region's development. The debates suggest things are changing for the better.

Beauty of the horizon

Pec pod Snežkou represents one possible scenario of the region's future. This tiny town, maybe partly thanks to its more remote location, has so far eschewed the fate of Špindlerův Mlýn and Harrachov. But more importantly, its town hall is cooperating with renowned architect Roman Koucký. He is known as a staunch supporter of modern architecture (his projects demonstrate his ability to combine modern…