Vrchlabí

Vrchlabí is a town in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic, with about 12,000 inhabitants. It stands on the upper Elbe at the foot of the Giant Mountains and is known as a centre of tourism and winter sports; it is nicknamed the Gateway to the Giant Mountains and hosts the administration of the Krkonoše National Park. The first settlement, Wrchlab, was probably founded before 1300 and is first mentioned in writing in 1359. The mining expert Kryštof Gendorf developed it into an important metallurgy centre, and it received town rights in 1533. Its main landmarks are Vrchlabí Castle and the Church of Saint Lawrence, and its centre is protected as an urban monument zone. A Škoda Auto factory represents local industry, and the humid continental climate brings cold winters.