Janov U Krnova: Mining History and a Forest-Strip Village

Janov U Krnova is a medieval mining town and, at the same time, a typical agricultural forest-strip village. Located in the western part of the Osoblaha microregion, the town lies in the valley of the Petrovický potok, where the landscape rises steeply toward the ridges of the Hrubý Jeseník. Historic details of the town and rural landscapes are presented here side by side as distinct themes.

Culture

On the square in Janov stands a Baroque statue of the Virgin Mary dating from 1739. The late Baroque Church of the Holy Trinity in Janov was built between 1780 and 1783. The cemetery contains a Pseudo-Renaissance and a Pseudo-Gothic funerary chapel, both from the 19th century. Houses numbered 21 and 49 are examples of folk architecture. The Janovské Museum was established in the 1990s, when the former school building was first reconstructed.

Landscape and Historical Traces

A centuries-old linden tree stands 800 meters southwest of Janov’s square, in the direction of Zlaté Hory. In the southern part, you can still see structures built from flat stones, with perimeter walls up to two meters high. The mountains Ďablův Kopec, Srebrna Kopa, Zamkowa Góra, and Solná hora lie in the vicinity of Janov. The ruins of Edelštejn and Koberštejn are located around Janov. Further afield in the region are Moszna Castle - Zamek and the ruins of Cvilin.

The landscape around Janov includes mountain ridges, forests, and meadows densely intersected by strips of field margins. The rural landscape around Janov is suitable for walks in every season. Anyone wishing to combine the town’s history with its landscape areas can view the buildings and museum in the town, the stone structures in the southern part, and the surrounding mountains and ruins as distinct stops.

For planning a day, the attractions can be clearly distinguished: the town center represents individual buildings and the museum, the southern part of the town the flat stone walls, and the surrounding area the mountains and ruins. Walks lead through mountain ridges, forests, meadows, and field margins; the educational trail adds marked paths, forest tracks, and rough terrain to this landscape. This allows visitors to decide in advance whether they mainly want to combine local history, impressions of the landscape, or a longer section of trail.

Educational Trail and Paths

The St. Roch No. 6 educational trail runs through the Janov district along the border area with Poland. Its entire route follows marked hiking trails. There is a small forest playground along the educational trail. The route runs mostly along forest tracks through rough terrain dominated by coniferous forests. Walks through the rural landscape and the St. 6 educational trail therefore represent different types of activity; the season, trail markings, and terrain profile provide concrete points of reference for planning the day.

For the broader travel overview: Bruntál District.