Ore Mountains

The name of the mountain chains surrounding the Czech territory was originally the same, in the 9th century called Hircanus Saltus, from the 12th century Saltus Bohemicus, in German Böhmerwald – Bohemian Forest. As late as in the 16th century, this name changed. Once the local deposits of precious and  base metals had been discovered, the north-western part was called the Erzgebirge – the Ore Mountains. This name is first referred to in the Saxon Chronicle of Peter Albin dating back to 1589. The Ore Mountains are also  mentioned  in 965  by the merchant Ibrahim Ibn Jakub in the report on his journey to Prague. The Celts called this area Sudet, „ the forest of wild swine“. The Ústí nad Labem region is occupied by the eastern part of the Ore Mountains. Forming a plateau, they  descend moderately towards the FRG, whereas on the Czech side, they rise steeply from the Podkrušnohorský dislocation. Their highest peak in the Ústí nad Labem region is Špičák (723 m), however, the plain near Nakléřov above the Stříbrný Brook is situated higher (729 m), as is the plain near Adolfov (750 m).