"Granite doesn't let me sleep!"
According to Heinrich Wollrath (1984), this is what the king of poets and naturalist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote to his court lady Charlotte von Stein. However, we have not yet been able to verify the quote. Goethe undoubtedly studied this multifaceted rock very intensively. And this was at a time when geology as a science was still in its infancy. Goethe studied granite and its forms in the Harz Mountains, Smrčine and northwestern Bohemia, among other places. You will therefore encounter it several times on our GEOtrasa Žula, but rather in scientific and cultural-historical contexts. Since the time of Goethe's treatises, the view of granite has undergone major changes, even during the last few decades.
Granite is not just a rock! Granite determines a specific landscape character with unmistakable rock formations. Granite soils are usually not fertile and require hard human labor to produce satisfactory yields at higher elevations. On the other hand, granite is often associated with extraordinary mineral wealth that has brought and continues to bring prosperity to many regions, whether it is ores such as tin or deposits of industrial minerals. In a sense, granite also literally writes cultural history directly into stone. For centuries, it has been used to build castles, churches and buildings, to make fountains and to pave streets. Although it was much more important in the past, today the importance of modern, highly mechanized mining and processing of granite as a decorative stone is growing again. Even weathered granite can provide high-quality raw materials. It contains kaolin, an indispensable basic material for the porcelain industry, whose history dates back more than 200 years.
The Cross-Border Geotrail GRANITE aims to introduce visitors to the Czech-Bavarian Geopark to all aspects of this fascinating rock. At the same time, it will guide you through a region with an unmistakable landscape, a famous mining past and human settlement and its eventful history.
We wish you many wonderful experiences and the joy of discovery on your journey through the Czech-Bavarian Geopark.
The goal of the Geotrasa in the Czech-Bavarian Geopark is to point out places where you can find something remarkable and often completely unique for a given topic. We try to explain the topic in all its aspects. The GEOtrasa is not an itinerary and it is up to you in what order you visit the places. Of course, you do not have to visit all the stops, although we of course recommend it.
The GEOtrasa ŽULA is cross-border and also "mirror". This means that information points for the 12 main topics are in both the Czech Republic and Bavaria. However, you will quickly find that even with the same topic, individual locations differ and have a unique character. Information boards are not located everywhere; you can find out more details in the GEOtrasa ŽULA brochure and using QR codes located in the terrain.
With these websites we would like to take you on a journey to selected locations with the theme of WATER in the cross-border Czech-Bavarian Geopark. And that this region is exceptionally rich in water: you will find numerous natural and artificial water bodies, river flows that often spring here, peat bogs, medicinal and thermal waters that have given rise to world-famous spas, as well as sources of drinking and mineral water. The region's special feature is its location in a hydrographic junction in the heart of Europe and on the main European watershed. A number of large rivers originate here, the most famous of which are the Main, Naab, Saale, or Elster. In interaction with geologically young tectonic forces, water flows determine the landscape character with a characteristic contrast of rugged mountains and picturesque lowlands.
The excursion sites selected mirror-like on both sides of the border cover various aspects of the theme of water. It actually costs much more to visit, but the other locations should also be included in the selection. Some locations cover multiple topics.