In the 16th century, sufficient hydropower was necessary for the mining and processing of the ore in the mining districts. The water from natural watercourses and artificial canals was used not only to operate water-powered mining machinery and dressing plants, but also to transport timber and firewood. That was also the case of the Horní Blatná tin district, for which the water channel was dug from the eastern edge of the Boží Dar Peat Bog through Myslivny, Ryžovna and Bludná to the northern slope of the Blatenský Vrch Hill as far as Horní Blatná. In Horní Blatná, the channel is piped into Blatenský Stream. The water channel was used for centuries. It was maintained on a regular basis until 1945, later mainly as a source of water for both industrial operations and fire protection. In 1980, it was declared as Technical Monument and completely reconstructed in 1995-2001. A nature trail follows the channel. The trail starts at Boží Dar and is connected to the Vlčí Jámy Nature Trail near Horní Blatná.
Rýžovna (formerly known in German as Seifen, in Czech Sejfy) was established on the grounds of a secluded mining locality, which was founded at the start of the 16th century near high grade tin placers. The grains of tin ore were obtained by washing gravelly alluvial deposits. They got there from primary deposits bound to granite intrusions. Later on, prospectors turned their focus to silver-bearing veins and, at their location, established the Štěstí s Radostí (Glück mit Freude) mine at the foot of Tokaniště Hill and the Boží požehnání (Segen Gottes) mine at Háje. Cobalt and bismuth were mined along with silver. This area also produced 1.4 tons of uranium in 1946–1959.
Fig.:
Map
Hillocks after the tin washing
Begin of the channel below Boží Dar