The first references to the settlement of Pfaffengrün, today the vanished village of Popov, probably date back to the 13th century and are connected with the colonisation activities of the Premonstratensian monastery at Teplá. The monastery founded several settlements in this part of the Ore Mountains to populate the border region and expand agriculture, including Pfaffengrün, Werlsgrün, Konradsgrün and Hanau (Hagenau). Later, Popov belonged either to the Ostrov estate or to the town of Jáchymov.

Administratively, the settlement fell under the Jáchymov district and ecclesiastically under the parish of Ostrov. Pfaffengrün disappeared after the Second World War as a result of the expulsion of the German population and the subsequent uranium mining in the area.

Until the first half of the 20th century, the imperial, later Reich, road from Jáchymov to Mariánská passed through the settlement, effectively dividing it into two parts. Lower Popov lay at the foot of Popovský špičák (752 m), while Upper Popov was situated in the saddle between Popovský špičák and Popovská hora. The lowest parts lay at about 600 metres above sea level and the highest around 770 metres.

Because of the harsh climate, the inhabitants focused mainly on goat breeding, lace-making, charcoal production and small-scale iron-ore mining. Some sources also mention a tradition of cooperative goat breeding and the production of goat cheese sold in Karlovy Vary.

The decline of the village followed the expulsion of the German inhabitants in 1945, and its final disappearance was linked to uranium mining and the removal of houses, especially in Upper Popov. The official renaming from Pfaffengrün to Popov was enacted by a Ministry of the Interior decree on 25 January 1949.

Today, only terrain remains and rows of stones marking former walls can be found in Upper Popov, while in Lower Popov the remains of a hexagonal chapel and several house foundations survive.

Popovský špičák rises to 752 metres and was formed about 17 million years ago by volcanic activity. A cross once stood on the summit, later replaced by a crucifix; in the 1950s an illuminated red star was installed there, and after 1989 a wooden cross was erected again.

Several notable trees still grow in the area of the former settlement. The large-leaved lime of Lower Popov stands on the former village green, about 20.5 metres high with a trunk circumference of 945 cm, and its split trunk allows passage through it.

The small-leaved lime of Upper Popov is more than 400 years old, about 28 metres high, with a trunk circumference of 907 cm.

The Popov ash, named Tree of the Year 2002, is about 220 years old, around 35 metres tall and ranks among the largest ash trees in the Czech Republic.

The Popov silver birch stands alone, about 22 metres high with a trunk circumference of 285 cm, and is among the largest protected birches in the country.