Meteorological Station, Krkonoše Giant Mountains, Sněžka, Czech Republic

Today, the Krkonoše are a popular holiday destination in summer and winter especially for visitors from Germany and the Netherlands. The nearest international airport is located in Wroclaw. Large ski resorts are located on the Czech side in Špindlerův Mlýn (Spindlermühle) and Harrachov (Harrachsdorf) and on the Polish side in Szklarska Poręba (Schreiberhau) and Karpacz (Krummhübel).
Winter sport
The Krkonoše mountains are a traditional winter sports centre in Middle Europe. August Neidhardt von Gneisenau described a sledging of 10 kilometers from Grenzbauden (Pomezní boudy) to Schmiedeberg (Kowary) already in 1817. Much earlier however heavy sledges already transported timber and hay whereas smaller and more manoeuvrable sledges, so called "Hitsch'n", were used to get faster from the ridges down into the valleys. Races with both types of sledges were a popular pastime among the locals and became an attraction for tourists. As sledging became more and more popular competitions were organized, the most popular and earliest during the late 19th century in Johannisbad (Janské Lázně). Around 1900 3930 sledges with long horn-shaped runners and 6000 sport sledges were counted on both sides of the mountains.