Horní Blatná is located about 18 km (11 mi) north of Karlovy Vary. It lies in the Ore Mountains. The highest point is at 1,002 m (3,287 ft) above sea level.
History
The settlement of the area was closely connected with tin mining, the origins of which date back to the end of the 15th century. Horní Blatná was founded as a mining town in 1532. In 1548, it was promoted to a royal mining town by Emperor Ferdinand I and obtained various privileges.[2]
The railway was opened in 1898.[2] According to the census of 1921, the town had the population of 2,090 Germans, 14 Czechoslovaks and 58 foreigners. Vast majority of the inhabitants were Roman Catholics, complemented by 62 Protestants and two people without religion.[3]
From 1938 to 1945, Horní Blatná was occupied by Nazi Germany and administered as part of the Reichsgau Sudetenland. After World War II, the town was returned to Czechoslovakia and the local German population was expelled.
The town belongs to the so-called Abertamy – Boží Dar – Horní Blatná Mining Landscape, which is a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site as part of Ore Mountain Mining Region.[7] The most valuable remnant of former mining in the area is the Blatenský water ditch. It is a technical monument, protected as a national cultural monument. It was built in 1540–1544 and was used for mining tin ore and for transporting wood. It is 11.6 km (7.2 mi) long and runs from Horní Blatná to Boží Dar. An educational trail runs along the ditch.[8][9]
The main landmark of the town is the Church of Saint Lawrence. It was built in the Saxon Renaissance style in 1594, originally as a Protestant church. In 1686, it was consecrated as a Catholic church. In 1754, it was rebuilt in the Baroque style and sculptural decoration was added.[10]
The Chapel of the Holy Cross is a large Baroque cemetery chapel from the first half of the 18th century.[11]
