Solvay Quarries Open-Air Museum

Near Loděnice, in the pure nature of the Bohemian Karst protected landscape area, you probably wouldn’t expect a mining facility. Nevertheless, limestone was mined here for the needs of the chemical industry until the 1960s. The Museum of Limestone Mining and Transport in the Bohemian Karst – Solvayovy lomy (Solvay Quarries) Open-Air Museum can be found in a large natural area built in a disused limestone quarry.

A group of enthusiasts from the Barbora Association started cultivating an old abandoned quarry here more than thirty years ago and repairing used machinery and buildings. Today, in the mining exhibition, you can learn how limestone mining was carried out, take a ride on the quarry’s narrow-gauge train and see many interesting machines that are gradually being reconstructed here. The outdoor geological exhibition is also interesting, where you can see various types of rocks typical for the Bohemian Karst. You will be amazed when you look into the depths from the upper edge of the Paraple quarry, and perhaps by the courage of the climbers who conquer its steep walls.

Marked trails with information boards lead through the open-air museum, along which you can freely walk and view freely accessible exhibits all year round. In season, from May to October, on weekends and holidays, the museum and underground gallery are open, and a quarry train is in operation. During major holidays, you will be welcomed here daily except Mondays. Several times a year, you can also take a ride on the beautiful, newly reconstructed steam locomotive Bronhilda.

• Interesting fact: The open-air museum owes its special name to the Belgian company Solvay, which at the beginning of the 20th century founded a factory in Ústí nad Labem where soda (sodium carbonate) was produced, for the production of which high-quality limestone was needed. And that was precisely what was mined in the local quarry, which the company Solvay owned.

A visit to the museum is not the only thing you will experience in the open-air museum. Throughout the year, members of the Barbora Association organize interesting events. You can enjoy, for example, the Day with Technology or the traditional Rotating Flywheels, the friendly music festival Lomfest or the experience in the form of a Night in the Open-air Museum is popular. And because the entire open-air museum is built by volunteers in their free time, you can help them and lend a hand during the traditional event Back to the Mines!

• Tip for you: The open-air museum is hidden in the middle of the forest in a nature reserve, so the only options for getting here are either on foot or by bike, with several routes from all the surrounding villages to choose from. The shortest and easiest is the route from the village of Bubovice, where you can park comfortably, and from where a yellow-marked trail with a hammer symbol will lead you here. The romantic, but most demanding and longest route is from the village of Svatý Jan pod Skalou, where you will climb from the monastery along the circular nature trail Svatojánský okruh (St. John’s Circuit).

What’s next?

Extending the route to the monastery in Svatý Jan pod Skalou seems logical. This pilgrimage site, hidden in a valley under a massive rock, will captivate you with its genius loci. Through the church, you can also enter the cave of the hermit Ivan, whose legend was behind the creation of this monastery.  On the way here, take a short walk to the viewpoint above the monastery – the view down is breathtaking. However, if you suffer from dizziness, it is better to skip this part.

If you haven’t had enough of quarries, head to the nearby Velká Amerika quarry. The place, which you know from many Czech and foreign films, has its own beauty and special atmosphere. Entry directly into the quarry is prohibited due to the risk of injury, but there is a nature trail with several viewpoints around it. Lovers of ancient history should not miss the iconic Karlštejn Castle or the place associated with the beginnings of Czech statehood – Tetín.