Ore mining in the Ore Mountains at the beginning of the 16th century was impossible without water.
For this reason, mining companies from Horní Blatná commissioned builder Štěpán Lenko to construct a 12-kilometre water channel. It supplied water from the Černá River basin near Boží Dar to mining and smelting operations in Horní Blatná. For its time, it was a unique technical work.
The water channel winds along the ridges of the Ore Mountains at an altitude of 945–975 metres, from the peat bogs near Boží Dar through Ryžovna and Bludná, then turns above Horní Blatná along the northern side of Blatná Hill. After its completion, mining developed rapidly not only around Horní Blatná, but throughout the entire area along the waterworks.
In 1980, the Blatná Ditch was declared a technical cultural monument. It later underwent a complete reconstruction, and an educational trail was built alongside it. The trail begins approximately 1.5 kilometres beyond Boží Dar and ends near Horní Blatná.
