Šindelová
Mushroom rock and iron furnace
The remains of the ironworks in Šindelová are a cultural monument in an area, where the onset of iron ore mining and processing date back to the 14th century. The blast furnace in Šindelová was part of the ironworks founded in 1839, which also comprised a rolling mill, hardening rooms and a hammer mill. The steam engine that powered the mechanisms was one of the first in Bohemia. During World War I, the ironworks were the only ones in the monarchy to manufacture metal for tin cans, which was used for all Austrian tin cans and various weapon components.
The Kamenný Hřib (“Mushroom Rock“) Nature Monument is located on a hill above Šindelová. It is a bizarre grouping of boulders that formed without human intervention – by natural weathering of granite in cryogenic conditions during the Pleistocene Period, and assisted by wind abrasion in a vegetationless subarctic environment. The boulders are composed of porphyric biotite granite of the Karlovy Vary Massif.
A popular important tourist destination is the Neo-Classicist hunting lodge Favorit situated in a forest preserve south of the village. The station of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute next to house no. 124 is also well-known.
