The Czech Hiking Markers Standard is an international system of hiking markers for tourist trails, used in more countries than any competing standard.[ citation needed ] The signs and markers can be used in both wilderness and cities. They are internationally well understandable as they grow from the same tradition in other Central European countries. Similar signs are in use in Austria, Germany, Poland and Switzerland.
The trail usually starts with arrow signs with names of destinations and number of kilometres marked. Each trail is then colour marked by simple markers and arrows painted between white lines (for better visibility) on fixed objects along the trail (trees, rocks, utility posts or walls) in a colour given to a specific trail. The paint is chosen so that it does not impact on the surrounding environment.
Basic implementation of the system requires only a color paint and a brush (plus a cardboard cut matrix for even size of the signs), with which an entire country can be marked.
Nevertheless, many other also very modern features can be added using GPS and mobile phone applications.
The basic system of trails with markers painted along the trail can be complemented by other features. These additional features are not necessary for the basic functioning of the system though.
This method of trail blazing has a wide international usage in most of Central and Eastern Europe (including the Balkans and Caucasus), with showcase examples also in parts of Latin America and Asia.[ citation needed ]
The system has been used by the Czech Hiking Club since 1888. [1] The entire territory of the Czech Republic is covered with marked trails, [2] and detailed maps are published and widely available. In the Czech Republic, over 70,000 km of hiking trails have been marked in this way. Of these, 39,816 km of hiking trails were marked in 2008. An additional 31,104 km of cycling trails, 387 km of skiing trails, and 1300 km of horse riding trails are also marked. In 1938 it was the longest system in the world, [3] but now it is the densest network. [3]
Maps of the trails have also been made into a number of digital applications - both Apple and Android for mobile phones, on Google Maps, [4] and on the Czech "Mapy.cz".
This system uses three bars - usually one colour in between two white bars, [5] with different meanings attached to different colours: [6]
These marks may be posted on wooden boards or metallic plates.
Basic trail markers are square, 10x10 cm in size. The volunteers marking these trails usually prepare sheet metal or cardboard matrices to keep the signs uniform in size.
Any change of direction is marked with arrows of the same colour and similar design. There are also symbols for short side-trails (to peak or lookout, ruin, well or spring, or other point of interest) and for the end of the trail.
The system is usually supplemented by maps, [2] which show the trails as lines in corresponding colours. Nevertheless, maps are not necessary for the system to function, as walkers can simply follow the trail from marker to marker.
Due to the relative ease of use and low cost, the system has spread to many other countries, often by Czech people. Originally used in the Czech Republic, the system spread through Central Europe and Eastern Europe and even to countries outside Europe. Nearly identical systems exist in the neighbouring countries of Austria and Poland.
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The Czech Republic has a hilly landscape that covers an area of 78,871 square kilometers (30,452 sq mi) with a mostly temperate continental and oceanic climate. The capital and largest city is Prague; other major cities and urban areas include Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň and Liberec.
The Tatra Mountains, Tatras, are a series of mountains within the Western Carpathians that form a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. They are the highest mountains in the Carpathians. The Tatras are distinct from the Low Tatras, a separate Slovak mountain range further south.
The Low Tatras or Low Tatra is a mountain range of the Inner Western Carpathians in central Slovakia.
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Špindlerův Mlýn is a town in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,200 inhabitants. It lies in the Giant Mountains and it is one of the most frequented ski resorts in the country.
Trail blazing or way marking is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with signs or markings that follow each other at certain, though not necessarily exactly defined, distances and mark the direction of the trail.
Kriváň is a mountain in the High Tatras, Slovakia, that dominates the upper part of the former Liptov County. Multiple surveys among nature lovers have ranked it as the country's most beautiful peak. Readily accessible along maintained marked trails and with the exceptional vistas afforded from its summit, it is the hikers' favorite mountain in the western part of the High Tatras. Kriváň has also been a major symbol in Slovak ethnic and national activism for the past two centuries. It has been referenced in works of art from 19th-century literature, through paintings, film documentaries, to a Polish rock track. A country-wide vote in 2005 selected it to be one of the images on Slovakia's euro coins.
Veľká Fatra is a mountain range in the Western Carpathians in Slovakia. The Veľká Fatra lie to the southeast of the better known Malá (Lesser) Fatra mountains and are less developed, as well as being lower.
The RM-70 multiple rocket launcher is a Czechoslovak Army version and heavier variant of the BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher, providing enhanced performance over its parent area-saturation rocket artillery system that was introduced in 1971.
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Rail transport in the Czech Republic carried 193.5 million passengers in 2019, and 68.37 million tonnes of cargo in the year 2009. The majority of passenger services run nowadays are operated by the state company České dráhy, which until 2007 also managed cargo services now run by ČD Cargo. In 2009 the country had 9,420 km of standard gauge track, 3,153 km of which is electrified. There are two main electrification systems in the Czech Republic, 3 kV DC in the northern part, and 25 kV 50 Hz AC in the south. Locomotives had to be changed on boundaries in the past, two-system locomotives have been introduced in 1974. The network has same gauge links to all four countries bordering the Czech Republic with passenger services to all four countries in operation. Major hubs for international passenger services on the network are in Prague, Ostrava, Brno and Břeclav, and the busiest station is Praha hlavní nádraží. The maximum speed for passenger traffic is 160 km/h (100 mph).
Volovec or Wołowiec is a mountain in the Western Tatras at the border of Slovakia and Poland. It lies on the main ridge of Western Tatras between Ostrý Roháč and mountain Deravá, standing over three valleys: Chochołowską, Roháčska and Jamnícka.
AURES Holdings, a.s., runs the AAA AUTO used car outlets in the Czech Republic, where most of its business is located. It also has branches in Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. The firm has branches in 22 cities in the Czech Republic, 14 in Slovakia, 1 in Hungary and 11 in Poland. In September 2017, it recorded its two millionth customer.
The Czechoslovak Group (CSG), formerly Excalibur Group, is a Czech industrial-technological holding company encompassing over 100 companies with over 10,000 employees worldwide. Headquartered in Prague, CSG operates in several sectors including defense, aerospace, ammunition, automotive, and railway industries. Since January 2018, the owner of the Czechoslovak Group is Michal Strnad, the son of the founder, Jaroslav Strnad.
Beskidenverein, Beskiden-Verein, Beskiden Verein was a German tourist association founded in 1893. It was the first organization operating in the Beskids region, which at that time belonged to Austria-Hungary and currently belongs to Poland; the Polish Tatra Association was founded in 1873 but initially limited its activities to the Tatra Mountains and the Beskid ranges located in present-day Ukraine, while the Czech Pohorská jednota "Radhošť" was active in the Beskids currently belonging to the Czech Republic.
Velká Javořina is a mountain massif on the border of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. At 970 metres (3,180 ft) above sea level, it is the highest peak of the White Carpathians mountain range.
Keprník is a mountain in the Hrubý Jeseník mountain range in the Czech Republic. It has an elevation of 1,423 m (4,669 ft) above sea level. It is located in the municipality of Ostružná, on the historical border between Silesia and Moravia.
Homole is a mountain in the Hrubý Jeseník mountain range in the Czech Republic. It has an elevation of 1,209 m (3,967 ft) above sea level. It is located in the municipality of Vernířovice.
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