Janské Lázně is a spa town in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 700 inhabitants. It lies in the Giant Mountains and in addition to the spa, it is known as a centre of winter sports.

Etymology

The name literally means "Jan's spa". The town was named after Jan of Chockov, who discovered here a hot spring.

Geography

Janské Lázně is located about 11 km northwest of Trutnov and 46 km north of Hradec Králové. It lies in the Giant Mountains, and its northern part lies within the Krkonoše National Park. The highest point is the Černá hora mountain at 1299 m above sea level. The creek Janský potok originates here and flows through the municipal territory.

History

According to the chronicle of Simon Hüttel, a hot spring was discovered here on 6 June 1006 by Jan of Chockov, after whom the town was later named. The hot water was originally used to drive the water wheel, which activated the hammer mill. The first records of using the thermal spring for bathing is from the 14th century. In 1485, an accommodation house was built next to the spring. During 1675–1680 a village was founded here by order of Johann Adolf, Prince of Schwarzenberg. In 1881, it was promoted to a market town. In 1902, the spa was bought by the municipality. Janské Lázně was promoted to a town in 1965. In 1928, the first funicular from Janské Lázně to the Černá hora Mountain was built. In 1980, the old funicular to Černá hora was replaced by a new one with a different route.

Demographics

Economy

The largest employer in Janské Lázně is the spa. The spa is focused mainly of treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. The water bath runs at a natural temperature of 27 °C.

Transport

There are no railways or major roads passing through the municipality. Janské Lázně and the top of the Černá hora mountain are connected by a cable car.

Sport

Janské Lázně is known for its ski resort and have a reputation of both summer and winter sports centre. It was host of the 1925 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships and 1937 Workers' Winter Olympiad.

Sights

The Art Nouveau colonnade built in 1904 is the most popular sight in the town. There is also the Krakonoš statue from 1906. The Church of Saint John the Baptist was built in the neo-Gothic style in the 1880s. To the west of the town, there is the Krkonoše Tree Top Trail, a frequent tourist destination. It is an educational trail with a total length of over 1500 m. It is formed by a 45 m high tower.

Twin towns – sister cities

Janské Lázně is twinned with: