The founding of the village Šindelová (once known as Schindlwald) is linked with the outpost fortress, which is located on a hill on the left bank of Rotava Creek and which was built in 1480 in order to guard the tin routes from Přebuz to Jindřichovice. Around 1512, six families settled on the grounds below the fortress, and a village was established as early as 1520. The village was part of the Jindřichovice estate, which belonged to the Schlick family until the Thirty Years‘War (1618–1648). The lands were then acquired by the Nostitz family, which held them until 1945.
The village was famous for glass-making, lacemaking and the production of shingles. However, the local ironworks gained the most fame. In 1561, three forges and one smelting plant were built in Šindelová to process the iron ores found locally. The village became an important centre for iron, and even the largest one in the region in the mid-19th century. The nearby deposit of tin gave rise to a new profession – tinning (and later also galvanizing) sheet iron. The construction of the iron furnace, a technical monument, bears witness to this time.
Figures:
1. Iron furnace in Šindelová
2. Collapsed south wall
3. Rolling mill of the Upper Works at the end of the 19th century