The Krkonoše form one of the most traditional tourist areas in Central Europe. As early as the 18th and 19th centuries, ascents of the Schneekoppe (Sněžka) were common, for instance by Theodor Körner and Johann Wolfgang Goethe. Artists like Caspar David Friedrich and Carl Gustav Carus hiked through the mountains to find inspiration. At the end of the 19th century two mountain clubs were founded, the German Riesengebirgsverein (Giant Mountains Club) on the Silesian side and the Austrian Riesengebirgsverein on the Bohemian side. The touristic development of the Krkonoše was one of their goals, and this primarily meant the construction of hiking trails. In the following years they created a network of , with on the Silesian (main) and Bohemian ridge alone.