The turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. was the peak period of the Karkonosze settlement. It's hard to imagine today, that many Karkonosze villages had three to four times more permanent residents than today. The basis of the existence of such a mass of people was primarily craftsmanship, then also the service of tourists. New villages were still established, but rather, they were small colonies and hamlets, often related to mining or industry. Thus, at the end of the 17th century. Brzezie Karkonoskie was established in the estate of count von Wallenberg. W 1727 r. the mill was mentioned, at which Czerwoniak developed, at the beginning of the 18th century. Gajniki appeared, Raszków, Crossroads and Skiba. Almost all of the above-mentioned places were owned by the counts von Schaffgotsch, mostly in the Karkonosze Foothills. Due to the huge dispersion of buildings, a special mountain commune was created for them (mountain cottage) with headquarters in Karpacz Górny, which covered the area from Borowice to Budniki.
From the beginning of the 19th century. Another phase of settlement took place in the Karkonosze Mountains. New settlements were still appearing, for example Jakuszyce, but the opposite tendency has already started to emerge. Traditional rural crafts are collapsing, between them, cottage weaving, constituting the basis for the existence of a large part of the inhabitants of the Sudetes, although it has never played such a significant role in the Karkonosze Mountains. Sub-mountain towns and villages are developing rapidly, in which larger and more numerous factories are being built: mechanical weaving and spinning mills, paper mills, metal plants, garbarnie, small factories and processing plants. Again, albeit briefly and on a small scale, There is a boom in mining and an increase in interest in the exploration and extraction of minerals. On the other hand, the operation of numerous quarries is constantly developing, which is related to the huge development of communication.
This causes an ebb of people from the mountains, primarily from their highest parties. They descend into the valleys in search of work and favorable living conditions. From the mid-nineteenth century. this process is intensifying. Many abandoned huts are destroyed or dismantled for fuel. Mostly these remain, which serve tourists at the same time, and therefore located on the most frequented roads. They transform into mountain hostels and hotels, are frequently and repeatedly renovated, rebuilt and rebuilt after fires.
At the same time, guesthouses are appearing in the valley villages, inn, small hotels aimed at receiving a significant number of tourists, the growth of which was caused by the construction of new highways with stagecoach connections, and from the mid-nineteenth century. also a dense rail network.
A characteristic type of a Karkonosze hut has developed in the construction industry – Interestingly, almost identical on both sides of the border – as well as a tourist hostel and finally a mountain guesthouse. In place of old shacks and huts, not only in the mountains, but also in villages, new buildings were built. After the uprising of 1880 r. the first tourist company in Silesia, Krkonose Association, tourism development of the Giant Mountains began to intensify. Tourist paths were built, viewpoints, special attractions for visitors. In the interwar period, the Karkonosze Mountains were teeming with life, most of the old buildings were still inhabited (although the number of permanent residents was gradually decreasing). The development of winter sports contributed to this: tobogganing, then skiing. From then on, tourism could be practiced all year round.
No fights took place in the Karkonosze during World War II, only some hostels and other facilities (snowball, Snow Cauldrons) they acted as observation or communication points, and most of the rest were converted into holiday resorts for the army. However, all of them lasted until May 1945 r. no damage.
The situation changed dramatically only after the end of the war. This period turned into a reversal to some extent, what happened during and after the Thirty Years' War. At that time, we were dealing with an influx of people, now with the ebb. She has been sitting for generations, the indigenous peoples associated with these mountains had to abandon them, and in its place people came, often with mountains, never having anything to do with it before, unable, and sometimes not wanting to live here, manage. Years must have passed, that the strangers would become accustomed to the area and grow up there. The traditions of local crafts were interrupted, former industrial plants were destroyed, stolen or used for other purposes.
Private mills were destroyed, hydroelectric power stations, souvenir factories, and even guesthouses and restaurants, which provided for the inhabitants.