The history of Dolní Dvůr in the Giant Mountains

The first historical records mentioning Dolní Dvůr date back to the early 14th century when the settlement of the Giant Mountains began. The first settlers were mostly of German origin.

Ores were mined in the area – hence the name of the local square – Ore Square (“Rudné náměstí”). The original name was German – Niederhof.

The upper part was called Oberhof – Horní Dvůr – in the vicinity of today’s Luisa’s Va­lley. There were several factories and sawmills for wood processing there. Dolní Dvůr used to have approximately 2,000 inhabitants. Today it is about 250.

The first timbered cottages in Luisa’s Valley were built approximately 300 years ago. The oldest preserved house is more than 250 years old. The timbered building of Luisa Guesthouse is more than 160 years old – it was built in 1846. The house underwent several structural modifications. The last renovation was executed in 2005 by today’s owners, who own the place since 1991. The name of the guesthouse “LUISA” was chosen by today’s owners after the Luisa’s Valley. Louisa was the daughter of Count Morzin who owned the estate. He had a son, Rudolf – hence the name of the neighbouring valley – Rudolfov.

Today’s owners also have famous ancestors – highlanders. The ancestor of Mr. Jaroslav Honců, Jan Buchar (1859–1932), introduced skiing and hiking in the Giant Mountains. One of the expositions in the Museum in Jilemnice is devoted to his person. Buchar’s routes are marked in the map of the Giant Mountains.

The grandfather of Mrs. Simona Honců, Josef Zita (1920–2011), was a great builder of ski jumps and served as an international FIS referee.

He designed over 30 ski jumps throughout the Giant Mountains of which the most famous are ski jumps in Harrachov and in Lomnice nad Popelkou. Exposition of the Museum in Vysoké nad Jizerou is devoted to him.