The city is famous for its past mining history. For centuries, tin was mined in Krupka; after the Thirty Years War, there were two silver mines in the area. In modern history, molybdenum, feldspar, tungsten, fluorite (Vrchoslav) were also mined. Mountain slopes covered with beeches and conifers hide numerous caves and shafts. The old Martin shaft lying at the road from Krupka to Komáří Vížka is open to the public. The name of the town is derived from the Old Bohemian word grown, big, large. It is often mistaken to state that the name comes from the tin kills that have been used since ancient times. The highest point is the peak Komáří vížka (sometimes Komáří hůrka) at an altitude of 807 m above sea level, which is the route of the chairlift.
The occurrence of tin and its easy extraction from alluvial deposits brought Krupka to the first settlement in the Bronze Age. The Germans gradually replaced the Slavs, especially at the time of the migration of nations. Krupka as a town is first mentioned in the 1330 charters, when King John of Luxembourg donated the Krupka family of the Koldic family, who were loyal allies of the Czech sovereigns. In that year the castles of Rosenburg and Kyšperk stood. At the beginning of the 15th century Krupka and the surrounding communities, like most of the Czechs, touched the Hussite war. Owner Krupka Albrecht of Koldic and the bourgeois burghers were faithful allies of Emperor Zikmund. Krupce first came Hussite in 1426 after the victorious battle at Ústí nad Labem. After the Hussite wars, the city has had an unprecedented flowering. The original extraction of ores from the alluvial deposits was replaced by mining in the rock, first surface but from the 15th century already deep. Only so could miners get more ore. The mining area ranged up to Cínovec and Dubí. The boom of the mining is witnessed by the preserved copy of the upper order of 1487. When King George of Poděbrab concluded a border treaty with Saxony in 1469, most tin deposits remained on the Czech side. The Thirty Years' War has hit the city several times. The Swedes conquered Krupka Castle. The most serious damage, however, was caused by the retreating Saxons (1631), who burned 60 houses in Krupka. At the beginning of the 19th century, the first coal mines appeared in the vicinity of Krupka as a precursor of new times. Krupka became a popular destination for many tourists who admired the beauty of the Bohuslav basilica and the medieval streets Krupka. So on May 27, 1813, the poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe also visited Krupka. He was not alone, Krupka visited composer Richard Wagner several times, and in 1872 also the writer Jan Neruda. In 1812 Horní Krupka was born the founder of modern eye medicine, Dr. Ferdinand Artl, who died in Vienna in 1887.
City Monument Zone in Husitská Street
Walking through this street, formerly called Koldicovská, you can breathe history from almost every corner. In the Middle Ages it was the center of urban life. Miners and later craftsmen lived there. Krupka had a swarm of blacksmiths, including tinnars, jewelers, goldsmiths, coppermen, wheelchairs, knives, platters, plumbers, and locksmiths. Furthermore, guilds of butchers, convalesters, shoemakers, bakeries, canteens and tailors were formed. The present form of Husitská Street, which pays for the unique monumental zone of street type, consists of rebuilt or reconstructed originally Renaissance houses. In the lower part of the street there is an orthodox, originally evangelical church dating back to 1901. At the crossroads with the Cínová Street is originally a Gothic hospital church of St. Spirit from 1440-1454. The central part of the street dominates the town church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary with a baroque parsonage. Above it there is a building of the old Krupa town hall with clock tower. On the other hand, a museum is situated in the originally Renaissance burgher house. In front of the museum building is a Baroque statue of St. František Xaverský from 1717. The statue of patron Krupka is a monument to the great plague of 1680.
Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
Many times, the tried-and-tested city church of the Assumption of Virgin Mary dates back to the 14th century. It was restored in 1668 and the new altars are decorated with a church from 1684, the pulpit was made in 1688 and the so-called "holy staircase" with a set of sculptures "Ecce homo" in 1735. Under the original ceiling vault there is the main altar with the image of the Assumption of the Virgin Marie, who painted the mayor of Krupka in 1835, Josef Lehmann. The church organ was made in 1759 by Johann Daniel Ranft. Behind the church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is a 15th century town bell tower. It has a brick wall, a wooden floor and shingle roof.
Currently, the church is under reconstruction and is used to organize benefit concerts and events whose proceeds are dedicated to its repair.
Statue of St. František Xaverský
During the plague epidemic in May 1680, the Cuban bourgeois Tobias Behr, whose entire family had died out, became infected with the plague. Employing thieves in the empty house, they spread the disease throughout the city, and 327 people died, about a third of Krupka's inhabitants. The sickness rested on the feast of the Jesuit missionary, St. František Xaverský. The Krupci attributed to this saint decisive merit in the suppression of the epidemic and left him a Baroque statue in 1717.
St. Anne's Church
Church of St. Anne with a Renaissance gate dates from 1516. At the time of the Baroque, an extension to the chapel and the bell tower was built. The church was renovated between 1851 and 1854 and later in the 1930s. The adjacent cemetery was founded in 1609 and buried there until 1884. There are buried important city figures, victims of plague and both wars. The renaissance gate was built by the Krupp burghers Georg Klippel in 1615. The wrought-iron grille, part of the cemetery gate, was made in 1619 in Dresden. The interior of the church is modern, the altar is not preserved. The wooden crust with the Old Testament scenes from Daniel Frank, dates back to 1609. The picturesque church of St. Anny is open to the public during the summer season, there are concerts of chamber music, there are interesting exhibitions and visitors are accompanied by a guide.
Chapel of St. Wolfgang
At the road from Horní Krupka to Fojtovice, at the crossroads to Komáří vízce you can find the chapel of St. Wolfgang. It was originally built in Gothic style in the 14th century. During the Thirty Years' War, in 1634 the country was compared to the country by the Swedish army, leaving only an altar stone called the canteen. It was restored only between 1692 and 1700. In 1710, Krupka and the chapel went to the administration of Count Clary Aldringen, who pledged that this monument would be preserved for eternal times. Later, a little cemetery was built around the chapel. After World War II, the interior of the chapel was completely destroyed, and the construction had been dilapidated over the years. In 2000 the chapel was included in the project of the border educational trail and was reconstructed within Phare program. The chapel was consecrated by St. Wolfgang, the miners' patron. Each year, the Neighborhood Day, a friendly meeting of the population of the border area and ecumenical worship are held on May 1st in the chapel.
