Giant Mountains, Mountain range between Czech Republic and Poland.
The Giant Mountains form a mountain range along the border between the Czech Republic and Poland, running more than 60 kilometers from east to west. Forests cover the lower slopes, while above the tree line a bare landscape of grasses and wind-shaped rocks begins.
Miners dug for precious metals in the valleys during medieval times, leaving behind abandoned shafts that still lie hidden beneath trails and meadows today. The search for ores slowed after centuries, and glassblowing and timber work then shaped the villages at the edge of the range.
Mountain folk tell stories of Rübezahl, a guardian figure who appears in legends as a protector of travelers and a trickster who tests the manners of those who pass through. Wooden carvings of this bearded figure with his staff still stand near trails and at huts where walkers stop to rest.
Walkers should prepare for changing weather, as fog and gusts can move in quickly even during summer months. Many paths are well marked, but some sections cross loose stones and rocky trails that require solid footwear.
A small spring pond near the highest summit marks the beginning of the Elbe, which flows almost 1,100 kilometers from there to the North Sea. Glaciers carved deep hollows and bowls into the slopes during the last Ice Age, now filled with water or appearing as open valleys.
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