Boží Dar Cam View from the Town Hall

Boží Dar is a small town, small as in it has only around three hundred residents, yet it’s one that can lay claim to some interesting attractions and historical facts we can all learn a lesson from. Among those attractions are the unusually shaped houses that this webcam streaming from the town hall looks down on. They’re constructed in a very distinct style, but it’s a style that has yet to be designated a specific title so let’s call them semi-alpine geometric abodes for now.

What’s so fascinating about its history? Boží Dar’s history dates back to the early 16th century when it was founded by an obscure duke who’s fame faded faster than his affluence did. After discovering silver, in what is today part of the Boží Dar Mining area, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, John Frederick I decided to invest his newly unearthed riches in supporting revolutionary politicians of his time.

That wasn’t a good idea. While it may have gained him the nickname of The Magnanimous with the rebellious, or in other words the generous one, he was in opposition to the greater ruling forces of the era which, sadly for him, didn’t go down too well. The lesson to be learnt here is – if you discover the pot of gold, or in this case silver, at the end of the rainbow in the Ore Mountains of the Czech Republic, invest it wisely or you could end up imprisoned for life as he did.