3. Harusův kopec a Šibenice

HARUS HILL AND THE SKI JUMPING HILL „NA ŠIBENICI“

The transformation of Nové Město na Moravě into a ski resort during the period of the First Czechoslovak Republic required the necessary infrastructure in order to house and feed the racers. For that reason, the so-called “skiers’ stations”, which were usually located in pubs, and tourist chalets were built.

The location for the Tourist chalet at Harus hill was chosen prior to the World War. However, the construction did not start until 1922, when a so-called “small chalet at Harus hill” was built. Almost 1,000 visitors came to the grand opening. The surface area of the chalet was only 40 m² and could only accommodate six people.

The demand for accommodation soon exceeded the available capacity, so in 1923 the chalet was extended and rebuilt according to the design of an architect from Nové Město, František Šmídsa. It offered two spacious dining rooms, a kitchen, five furnished guest rooms, a room with 30 beds, and a lookout tower which oversaw the whole region. It is safe to say that the chalet represented local skiing.

The chalet witnessed many notable events. For example, in January 1934 the start of the now well-known Golden Ski race was located by the chalet. A local athlete, Bohuslav Kosour, won the race. However, the race was organized only twice before 1942. Once the War started, skiing activities had to be postponed. Some members of the local Sports club joined the local resistance movement. They profited from their knowledge of the terrain and proved to be an essential element of communication with the partisans. In November 1940, the gestapo arrested military general Josef Bílý at Harus chalet, where he was hiding. Since 1939 he was the main leader of an Anti-Nazi military organization called “The Defence of the Nation”. Once at the execution site, general Bílý refused to wear a blindfold. His alleged last words were: “Long live the Czechoslovak Republic! Shoot, dogs!”

1942 turned out to be fatal for the chalet, being the year it burned down. A careless operation with grease in the kitchen, where at that time worked Ludmila Kubů, was at fault. It was impossible

to put out the fire, mostly because there was not enough water at the top of the hill. Local skiers and tourists were very saddened by this news. Almost immediately after the accident, an initiative was created to rebuild the Chalet. Despite a significant effort, the plans never became reality due to a lack of finance.

A newly built Ski Hotel substituted the Chalet in 1972. The hotel could not have been built at Harus hill, because it was not possible to build a cross-country stadium there, which would meet all necessary requirements. This was a significant move, seeing that all skiing activities moved to the vicinity of the hotel.

The construction of ski jumping hills also contributed to the development of ski sports. The first one, called “Na Šibenici” was built at a hill next to Harus hill in 1925. With a wooden structure, it allowed for jumps up to 36 meters long. At the beginning of the 1920s, Nordic Combined, which featured also ski jumping, was immensely popular, so a ski jumping hill was a necessity in such an important ski resort. In 1974, after being abandoned for a while, it was closed. Based on a design by Jiří Slonek a new jumping hill was built in its place. The new jumping hill underwent an extensive repair in 2018.

The first ski slope at Harus hill was opened already in the 1950s by military officers from Havlíčkův Brod, who installed a heavy internal combustion fuelled winch and taught skiing. Thanks to a few local enthusiasts, led by Miroslav Vašíř and Milan Maša, a new ski slope was built at the hill facing Nové Město na Moravě in the 1980s.

However, the first ski tow was not built until 1994, giving the ski slope its current appearance. These days a modern two-seat chairlift, the only one in the Vysočina region, is used to take skiers to the top of the hill. A ski school and a ski rental are also available for both adults and children. In 2005 the hill hosted the Junior Grass Skiing Championship

Author: LD