Trutnov is a historic and touristic town on the Czech side of the Giant Mountains. It has a well-preserved center with houses mainly from the 17th to the beginning of the 20th century. It is also a good starting point for visiting the surrounding mountains.
The city was founded in the 13th century and developed primarily as a commercial center. twice, in the Hussite Wars and in the Thirty Years' War, it experienced major damage, which means that its buildings are largely later than the 17th century. An important event was the Battle of Trutnov in 1866 between the armies of Austria and Prussia. The "Battle of Trutnov" educational trail leads to places connected with it.
Before World War II, in the vicinity of Trutnov, as in many other border points, the authorities of Czechoslovakia began to build fortifications in the event of German aggression. One of the best-preserved elements of this defense system is Fort Stachelberg located above Trutnov. It now houses a museum of Czechoslovak fortifications. Next to it, there is the Elżbieta Stachelberg lookout tower, from which you can admire the panorama of the surrounding mountains.
The well-preserved buildings are an attraction of Trutnov. On the large, rectangular square, lined with stones from the nearby Upa River, there is a plague column and the Karkonosze Fountain, the spirit of the mountains. It is surrounded by tenement houses, often built in the 16th and 17th centuries, but with later neoclassical and Art Nouveau facades. Many of them have arcades that now house restaurants and shops. The history of the city and the entire region can be found in the Podkarkonoskie Museum in Trutnov.
