The Jan Evangelista Adit is a fascinating step back into the world of Bohemian silver mining, tucked into the northwestern slope of Křížová hora near Jiřetín pod Jedlovou. Visitors can walk more than 350 metres of underground passages once carved by miners chasing silver ore back in the 18th century.

Inside, the air stays cool and damp year-round, offering a refreshing escape from summer heat - though a light jacket is a good idea even in July. The tunnels cut through 650-million-year-old phyllitic greywacke, following calcite and quartz veins that once held galena and chalcopyrite. Above ground, the wooded slopes of the Lusatian Mountains around Křížová hora make for a peaceful, easy walk before or after the tour.

How to get there

• Jiřetín pod Jedlovou, bus stop nám. - about 700 metres on foot to the adit entrance, easy, flat walk
• The entrance sits directly on road No. 264 between Varnsdorf and Rybniště, easily reached by car or bike

Practical information

• Accessible tour length: 360 m
• The route also includes the 16th-century Kryštof adit, now serving as the technical section of the site
• Nearby you'll find the Milířka Valley mining nature trail and a mining museum in the former parish building in Jiřetín
• Nearest railway stop: Horní Podluží; nearest express train station: Rybniště (about 4.5 km away)

The first written record of mining here dates back to 1474, and the entrance tickets to the adit were designed by local graphic artist Jiří Stejskal - a nice little souvenir to keep.