Jelení
peat bog
Jelení
peat bog
peat bog
If you stray to the west of the Krušné Mountains, about 10 km north of Nejdek and less than 5 km from Přebuz, you will reach the former village of Jelení. In its heyday, hundreds of people lived there. Today, however, the vast majority of the houses are in ruins and piles of stones reveal how far the settlement went.
Several of these kinds of ruins are also located in our site, which consists of a picturesque quiet valley filled with peat bogs with springs, drier vegetation with heaths and Nardus grasses, and a few solitary spruces. This mosaic is completed by Černá voda, a 20 km long stream with a spring on the western slope of Plochá Mountain.
Several of these kinds of ruins are also located in our site, which consists of a picturesque quiet valley filled with peat bogs with springs, drier vegetation with heaths and Nardus grasses, and a few solitary spruces. This mosaic is completed by Černá voda, a 20 km long stream with a spring on the western slope of Plochá Mountain.
Jelení,
Krušné (Ore) Mountains
Krušné (Ore) Mountains
The site lies in a charming valley formed by alternating stands of grasses and mosses. It is crossed along its long axis by the Černá voda stream and flanked by spruce forests.
The wetter part of the valley is covered with so-called transitional peatlands—swaying piles of mosses, here and there supplemented by white bristles of dry-mosses or sedges. In places, the vegetation is spaced out and shows where the water is rising to the surface.
The drier parts of the valley are covered by secondary foothill and mountain heathland and alder grasslands. These species-poor habitats are dominated by stiff spruce, a grass with a distinctive appearance and little appeal to grazers.
The drier parts of the valley are covered by secondary foothill and mountain heathland and alder grasslands. These species-poor habitats are dominated by stiff spruce, a grass with a distinctive appearance and little appeal to grazers.
8.5 hectares
Transitional peatlands
Foothill and mountain heathland
Nardus grasses
Černá voda stream
Transitional peatlands
Foothill and mountain heathland
Nardus grasses
Černá voda stream
Properties
The permanent presence of water is crucial for peat bogs—they can’t exist without water. For this reason, peatlands are classified primarily according to the way they obtain water. Uplands, for example, are primarily saturated with water from rainfalls. Transitional peatlands use groundwater in addition to rainfall.
Observant eyes can detect the ruins of the original buildings on the site. These islands of released accumulated nutrients in an otherwise “poor” landscape host many rare plant species. Moreover, on sunny days they are a favorite refugium for basking reptiles.
The settlement of Jelení is connected to an extraordinary story, not only due to its location near the German border, but also because of the richness of the local ore mine.
“People came here to find tin, at first only seasonally, and to dig tinstone from the alluvial streams. These places were therefore deforested and dredged up first. It was only after the exhaustion of the mining sites in the 16th century, when it was necessary to extract tin ore from the ground, that people began to settle here permanently and the settlement of Jelení (Hirschenstand in German) was established. It is not at all certain that the place is named after a deer (Hirsch in German). Settlements were often named after the first miner to live there, who in this case may have been a Mr. Hirsch.
“People came here to find tin, at first only seasonally, and to dig tinstone from the alluvial streams. These places were therefore deforested and dredged up first. It was only after the exhaustion of the mining sites in the 16th century, when it was necessary to extract tin ore from the ground, that people began to settle here permanently and the settlement of Jelení (Hirschenstand in German) was established. It is not at all certain that the place is named after a deer (Hirsch in German). Settlements were often named after the first miner to live there, who in this case may have been a Mr. Hirsch.
History
Over the centuries, miners have worked this area with many mines with hundreds of meters of tunnels and shafts. Using chisels, hammers, and fire, they were able to penetrate down to depths of around 90 meters. The ore was crushed directly in the Jelení mine and only then was it transported to Nejdek for compaction.
The settlement grew rapidly, the meadows and pastures expanded, and several dozen houses were scattered over them. In 1900, it had 165 houses, and a rectory, a school, and church were added. The main livelihood of the inhabitants was tin mining, the largest and longest mined deposit of which was located at the upper end of Jelení.”
The settlement grew rapidly, the meadows and pastures expanded, and several dozen houses were scattered over them. In 1900, it had 165 houses, and a rectory, a school, and church were added. The main livelihood of the inhabitants was tin mining, the largest and longest mined deposit of which was located at the upper end of Jelení.”
Jan Matějů, ecologist and curator of the Natural History Department of the Karlovy Vary Museum
Zdroj: Pavel Andrš
Jelení was mined intermittently until 1863. Even before that, mining had been in decline and during the second half of the 19th century it was practically ended by the import of cheap tin from overseas. The village effectively disappeared after the Second World War when the German population was expelled. In 1951, the settlement of Jelení found itself in the forbidden part of the border zone, sealing its for a long time to come.
Houses were demolished or gradually decayed, and the only sign of human presence was the forestry industry and at least minimal care of the meadows in the form of grazing. The original network of drainage ditches and gulleys began to silt up and the formerly well-maintained meadows became waterlogged.
Houses were demolished or gradually decayed, and the only sign of human presence was the forestry industry and at least minimal care of the meadows in the form of grazing. The original network of drainage ditches and gulleys began to silt up and the formerly well-maintained meadows became waterlogged.
Despite its turbulent history, the site near Jelení has a positive message for our generation. The story of the mining settlement may seem romantic, but the mine and ore processing plant have had a huge impact on the environment.
Since the Černá voda ("Black Water" in English) stream passed through several mining operations in Jelení, its water didn’t resemble “black tea” as it does today due to the peat waters, but instead “white coffee.”
Since the Černá voda ("Black Water" in English) stream passed through several mining operations in Jelení, its water didn’t resemble “black tea” as it does today due to the peat waters, but instead “white coffee.”
Ecological
significance
significance
“Today’s deserted valley with its green hills, wet meadows, scattered spruce trees, and dark-colored meandering stream isn’t the result of a sustainable coexistence between man and nature, but rather a demonstration of its enormous regenerative power, which has fully manifested itself since humans disappeared.
The peat bog near Jelení is certainly not the most biodiverse area in the Krušné Mountains, but nevertheless it contains everything that is characteristic of this mountain range. Moreover, some habitats can naturally be species-poor yet this doesn’t diminish their value. In fact, they complement the more diverse range of habitats.”
The peat bog near Jelení is certainly not the most biodiverse area in the Krušné Mountains, but nevertheless it contains everything that is characteristic of this mountain range. Moreover, some habitats can naturally be species-poor yet this doesn’t diminish their value. In fact, they complement the more diverse range of habitats.”
RNDr. Jan Matějů, Ph.D.
Curator of the natural history collections of the Karlovy Vary Museum, specialist on the Doupovské and Krušné mountains, co-author of the book “Doupovské Hory“ (2016) and a number of research and nature conservation projects.
Curator of the natural history collections of the Karlovy Vary Museum, specialist on the Doupovské and Krušné mountains, co-author of the book “Doupovské Hory“ (2016) and a number of research and nature conservation projects.
Hare’s-tail cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum)
Round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) – VU
Marshberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos)
Baldmoney (Meum athamanticum)
Bog bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum)
Common moonwort (Botrychium lunaria) – VU
Round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) – VU
Marshberry (Vaccinium oxycoccos)
Baldmoney (Meum athamanticum)
Bog bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum)
Common moonwort (Botrychium lunaria) – VU
Common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) – NT
Grass snake (Natrix natrix) – NT
Common European viper (Vipera berus) – VU
Common frog (Rana temporaria) – VU
Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)
Northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) – EN
Black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) – EN
Wolf (Canis lupus) – CR
Grass snake (Natrix natrix) – NT
Common European viper (Vipera berus) – VU
Common frog (Rana temporaria) – VU
Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra)
Northern wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) – EN
Black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) – EN
Wolf (Canis lupus) – CR
This perennial herb with a single tall leaf divided into fertile and sterile parts used to be shrouded in a number of folk myths. People once considered it to be an “opening herb” that could open any lock.
Species
worth mentioning
worth mentioning
Our small site is part of a much larger area—the Ore Mountains Plateau Site of European Importance. This almost 12,000 hectare area is of vast importance even on an international scale. It’s rich in peat bogs of various types, including peat forests. Significantly, the critically endangered raised bog large ground beetle and greater mouse-eared bat are protected in this SEI.
Landscape
context
context
The Krušné Mountains Plateau also includes the smaller Rolavská Vrchoviště National Nature Reserve. Many types and sizes of peat bogs play a major role in this charming area. The Rolavská Vrchoviště NNR is also home to a quite impressive and slightly scary building, a former tin ore mine and processing plant. It, too, was abandoned after the war and its ruins have now been colonized by unique plant and invertebrate populations.
On our site near Jelení, as in many other areas in the vicinity, extensive cattle grazing had been going on for a long time. When we purchased the peat bog in the fall of 2024 and added it to our land portfolio, it had already been in a successful site management process and we’d like to continue our role in it.
Our role
We also launched a survey, the first output of which was a short study by Jan Matějů, a natural scientist who specializes in the environment of the Doupovské and Krušné mountains. We hope that he’ll continue to work with us to better understand this corner of the local landscape.
Last but not least, we’d like to play the role of private owner in this location, whose main goal is a thriving and functioning ecosystem. This type of ownership is just what this mountainous area needs since it’s so attractive to developers.
Last but not least, we’d like to play the role of private owner in this location, whose main goal is a thriving and functioning ecosystem. This type of ownership is just what this mountainous area needs since it’s so attractive to developers.