When on weekends good weather, many residents of the Czech Republic, especially residents major cities, rush to nature. Moreover, they go there not to drink and eat, but to walk or ride along beautiful places. We also try to maintain this tradition and go for walks in parks or forests. The recent weekend was no exception, and we went for a walk around the Czech and Saxon Switzerland.

Czech Switzerland- this is one of four national parks Czech Republic, which is located right on the border with Germany. Crossing the border, you immediately find yourself in the German national park Saxon Switzerland. The main objects of protection of the park are the unique sandstone formations. Here you can find massive stone towers, arches, and labyrinths that were formed due to centuries of erosion. The most famous rock formation is the Pravčická brána, which is the main goal of our walk.

Leaving Prague early in the morning, passing and crossing the bridge over the Elbe, we find ourselves in the town of Hřensko, where we leave the car in the parking lot between the rocks. Grzensko is a village with a population of only 200 people, which is located on the banks of the Elbe, and from which it is closest to the Pravcicka Gate. The distance from Hřensko to Prague is 130 km.

Parking costs CZK 120 per day. There are a catastrophic shortage of parking spaces; if someone abandons a car right in the middle of the road, he is given a fine and a wheel blocker is installed.

In addition to the car, you can get from Decin to Grzensko by bus; the travel time is approximately 30 minutes. IN summer months there is also a boat from Decin, which also reaches German city Bad Schandau. It is most convenient to get to these places from Prague.

If you want to stay overnight in Czech Switzerland, there are approximately 10 hotels and guesthouses in this area alone. The Forest Garden Hotel is the nicest hotel in the area and is very popular for its cleanliness, modern design and quiet location.

Not far from the parking lot there is a fork in the paths, along one of which we go up to the Pravčicka Gate, along the other we can reach the departure point for boats on the Kamenica River. During the boat ride, you will see the waterfall and enjoy the local beauty without straining your legs.

We meet the dawn in the forest. Forests cover 97% of the park's area, which is 79.23 km². Forests helped these places develop, since wood processing became the main activity of the indigenous population. After all, wood produced at local sawmills was supplied to shipyards and used to build sailboat masts.

Initially, the territory of the current park was dominated by beech forests, now spruce trees mainly grow here.

During our walk, we came across signs reminding us that it is prohibited to fly drones throughout the park. The fine for launching a drone can reach up to 200 thousand Euros.

And now we have reached our goal - the Pravchitsky Gate. Travel time from the parking lot uphill at an average pace is a little more than 1 hour.

A small castle was added to the rock formations in 1881, called the Falcon's Nest (Sokolí hnízdo).

Entrance fee to the territory of the Pravčicka Gate and the castle: 75 CZK. Entrance fee for children, students and pensioners: 25 CZK.

On the observation deck there is a restaurant and separate tables where you can have a picnic from your own food or buy sausages, soup, beer or any other hot and cold drinks in the tent. If you don’t want to eat here, then in the town of Grzensko there are at least 5-7 restaurants at guesthouses serving Czech cuisine.

The views from the observation deck are quite nice.

Some take selfies on the observation deck, while others hone their climbing skills; fortunately, the local rocks are suitable for this.

The park is home to 62 species of mammals. Wolves, bears, and moose have been exterminated here a long time ago. Now the park is home to beavers, various rodents, roe deer and wild boars. Also in the park there are 227 species of birds, 1000 species of butterflies, but the number of fish species is very low, and the park administration is working to revive the fish population in local rivers. For example, in just one year more than 1,200 salmon fry were released.

It is worth mentioning that Czech Switzerland is the largest nesting site for black storks and falcons.

The Pravčicka Gate, with a width of 26.5 and a height of 16, is the largest arched rock formation in Europe. The gate became a symbol of the park.

After a busy walk and a small picnic, we went to Saxon Switzerland, and we decided not to waste time on the rest of the sights of Czech Switzerland, since they are not very picturesque.

Czech Switzerland is the northwestern region of the country in the upper reaches of the Elbe River, which borders Germany. The Elbe Sandstone Mountains are located in this area. Since 2000, this area has the status national reserve. Square national park is about 80 square kilometers, and its continuation is located in the territory of Saxon Switzerland.

Miraculous sights

Most high mountain The Czech capital of Switzerland is Decinski Sneznik, which rises 723 meters above sea level. This indicates that this mountain range is low. Mountain formations arose thousands of years ago, creating a landscape of amazing beauty: bizarre rocks, crevices, canyons. The most picturesque part of the national park is the Kamenice River canyon and the ancient artificial reservoir.

Particular attention is drawn to such a landmark of the park as the Pravchitsky Gate, which has become a kind of symbol of the reserve. They are a natural gate made of rock and are the largest natural creation of this type on the European continent. The span of this miraculous arch measures more than 26 meters, and its height reaches 21 meters.

The thickness of the gate’s rock is also impressive, being 3 meters at its narrowest point. The upper part of the arch is quite narrow, so access to its platform is closed.

Having passed under the arch of the Pravchitsky Gate, along paths and stairs you can climb to observation platforms, from where stunningly beautiful landscapes of the mountain landscape open up.

"Falcon's Nest" and Dolskaya Mill

Nearby, almost under the Pravchitsky Gate, there is a small castle “Falcon's Nest”, built in the 80s of the 19th century. Today, on the second floor of the building there is an exhibition of the national park museum. The first floor is occupied by a restaurant with an originally designed interior, where amazing paintings have been preserved.

The Dolskaya Mill is also a tourist attraction in the national park. These are the surviving fragments of a water mill, the date of construction of which is said to be 1515. In the middle of the last century, the mill served as a set for the filming of the popular fairy tale film “The Proud Princess” directed by Bořivoje Zemana.

Over time, the building began to fall into disrepair, but recently it was mothballed, stopping the destruction. In 2007, the Dolskaya Mill acquired the status of a cultural monument protected by the state. A few hundred meters from the mill you can see a small bridge that was built at the beginning of the last century. It is a unique historical structure, since it is the first object built from reinforced concrete on the territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

To see the 180-year-old royal spruce, you need to travel about half a kilometer along the path from the mill. The diameter of the trunk of the green beauty exceeds 3 meters, and in the sky it reaches almost 27 meters.

Schaunstein rock castle

In the park, in a dense forest, there is Schaunstein Castle, built in the first half of the 14th century. It was built to protect trade routes. Over time, it lost its significance, and after the Thirty Years' War, robbers and deserters found shelter here. The castle received a different name: Lupezhnitsky. Now all that remains of it are ruins.

The upper platform of the structure, approximately 70 meters long and 20 wide, consists of several parts connected by bridges. The ruins give an idea of impressive size and the former grandeur of the castle. During the excavations, part of the main tower of the structure was found, which could serve as a prison or storage room.

Viewpoints of the reserve

There are several observation platforms in the reserve, one of them is an ancient stone observation tower, which was erected on the top of Dechinsky Snezhnik. From here, as far as the eye can see, wonderful views of Czech Switzerland open up.


Another platform in the form of a huge terrace seems to hang over the canyon where the Elbe flows. It is called Belvedere, and was built by the Kaeri Aldringen family, who owned most of the territory of Czech Switzerland. Their coat of arms, carved directly on the rock, has survived to this day.

A visit to the Bohemian Switzerland National Park gives you unforgettable moments of communication with unique nature and monuments that constitute the historical and cultural value of this land.

The Czech Republic is not offended by mountains. The Czech mountains, of course, are not high, but picturesque. And one mountainous area even received the name “” ( České Švýcarsko). What a miracle, you say, the labels “Switzerland” and “Venice” are the most common. Just a city in the canals - right there is “Venice”. And if the area is hilly - “Switzerland”, of course.

As for Czech Switzerland, in this case the Swiss themselves likened this corner of the Ore Mountains to their Switzerland. Swiss artists arrived in Dresden to restore paintings in the Dresden Gallery - and in the vicinity of the Elbe they discovered an extremely attractive place: sharp sandstone cliffs, deep canyons, hills covered with forest. “Well, like here in Switzerland,” said the artists. And so it happened.

On the Czech side it was formed national park"Czech Switzerland". And on the other bank of the Elbe is “Saxon Switzerland”. We visited both there and there. In this article I will talk about our walk through Czech Switzerland, and in the next one about Saxon Switzerland.

We left Prague around 8 am and two hours later we were approaching the Czech-German border. The river (Laba in Czech), along which the border of the countries passes, looks very romantic in this place: neither narrow nor wide, it flows among wooded mountains, houses are visible here and there along its banks, but overall the place seems secluded and quiet .

Town of Grzensko

Our goal - town of Grzhensko, which stands at the confluence of the Kamenitsa River into the Laba. Start from Hřensko walking routes in the Czech Switzerland National Park.

Pier near Grzhensko

Along the edges of the gorge, like entrance towers, there are two hotels. The Labe Hotel looks especially impressive - it seems that it is resting on a rock.

The hotel opposite is more modest

We turn right and move along the Kamenitsa River.

The town of Grzensko begins with long shopping arcades. The Vietnamese trade here.

The rows end in front of the main city square, as miniature as the whole city, with a small church.

The city stretches along the river. Houses stand on both sides of the river, and behind them rise the mountain slopes.

There are many hotels and private guesthouses. There are cafes, shops, in short, the entire infrastructure of the resort town. The houses are nice. Let's say this one, overgrown with ivy.

And the most charming villa is hidden a little away from the road, behind a rocky outcrop.

The line of houses along Kamenica ends with the Praha Hotel, one of the best in the city. And the entire Hřensko from “Labe” to “Praha” can be walked in 15 minutes.

Then the paths diverge. There is a walking trail along the river (along which we returned to the city about three hours later). Moves away to the right highway to the village of Janow, turn left to Mezne Louka and further to Jetřichovice, an ancient Saxon village.

Hiking routes in Czech Switzerland

Most tourists (including us) go to the town of Mezne Louka, where hiking routes begin in the Czech Switzerland National Park in the Hřensko district.

Scheme walking routes Grzhensko

The most popular route leads to Pravcicka Braná, a unique natural arch bridge. From Mezni Louka to Pravcicka Bran it takes 70 minutes to walk along the trail (as indicated on the park map) and then another 45 minutes to get to Hrensko.

We are heading along a different route. First we walk 2 km along an asphalt road. The road goes among the fields.

In the distance, rocks can be seen above the treetops.

We reach the guesthouse “Na Vyhlidce”.

Behind the house there begins a path that leads to the Kamenitsa River.

The descent to the river is steep and winding, the path winds among rocks and trees.

The mountain serpentine ends with an exit to the bridge.

We have reached the bottom of the gorge. From the bridge the canyon looks spectacular: vertical rock walls stand opposite each other. How long did the water take to drink? rocks to make your way!

After the bridge, the trail turns and goes along the shore along the rocks (and sometimes under overhanging rocks or in a broken tunnel).

In one place the gorge makes sharp turn and is expanding. At the site of the expansion there is a house in which a small museum is located, dedicated to the nature of this region.

Rafting on the Kamenitsa River

And here is the pier. Along the walkways there are punts painted bright green. The boat is designed for 26 people.

We wait for those lagging behind

We load into the boat and set sail downstream.

This section of Kamenitsa is called.

The boat is controlled by a boatman with a pole. He stands at the stern, steers the boat and jokes around. And in one place he slowed down, pulled the taut cable with his hand, and a waterfall fell from the rocks above. Fortunately, not on us. The waterfall did not last long, I managed to photograph the last streams.

Here and there among the rocks there were funny wooden figures.

And around the next turn these rocky fingers appeared.

That's how we sailed and sailed along Edmund's Gorge. The place is very quiet, secluded, filled with mysterious, gloomy beauty. Everything is like something out of a fairy tale: silently flowing dark water, mossy stones in the riverbed, soaring gorge walls, knotty tree roots clinging to the rocks, dark green crowns reflected in the water.

The only time our privacy was violated was when a boat passed us, upstream. Yes, pushing a boat against the current with a pole is not an easy task.

Finally the pier appeared. We disembarked and continued along the path along the river.

I thought that our walk through the protected forest had come to an end, but the journey to Grzhensko took another 30-40 minutes. The gorge went on and on, we all stretched out along the path, there were few people, only closer to Grzhensko people began to meet.

(České Švýcarsko) is a beautiful protected area in the north-west of the Czech Republic. The area is adjacent to the German “Saxon Switzerland”. And it is famous for its unusually shaped limestone cliffs, gorges and dense forests located in the Elbe (Laba) River basin. In 2000, an area of ​​79 km2 officially became a national park, falling under state protection.

Currently, Czech Switzerland is a popular tourist destination. Which is present in the list of available routes of any self-respecting Prague tour operator. However, travelers who think that they are “somehow on their own” will also easily find their way and gain a lot of impressions. Once in detail.

How to get there from Prague

Ironically, it is more convenient to get from German to Czech Switzerland than from Prague. We take the train from the city station (Hbf) to the Schöna station - time ~ 55 minutes. Then we go to the ferry crossing, cross the river and, please, you are in Grzhensko. The starting point for several popular hiking trails!

You can get from Prague to Decin (we'll see the local castle along the way) by train - it's a little over 2 hours on the road. Schedule and ticket prices: .

You can get to the place from Decin by sailing on a boat sailing along the Labe. The final stop is in the village of Shmilka on the German side of the border, then walk about a kilometer to the crossing in Grzhensko.

Another interesting way is, again, by train from Prague. Direction to Decin, there is a transfer to the line to the German Bad Schandau, we get off at the Schöna station. Next you already know...

Short story

The honor of opening the region to the public goes to Adrian Zing and Anton Graff, two Swiss artists and teachers at the Dresden Art Academy who lived in the mid-18th century. In search of "nature" they traveled along the Elbe, visiting places between Pirna and Hrzensko, and painted a lot.

Almost immediately their landscapes attracted attention and tourists flocked to these places for their unusual beauty. One of the most famous personalities who did not fail to visit here: the author of fairy tales, the Dane Hans Christian Andersen, who made two visits: in 1831 and 1851.

What to see

There are several routes that allow you to see Czech Switzerland in detail: both walking and cycling. Let's mention iconic places national park, for the sake of which they actually come here.

Pravčická brána is the largest natural limestone arch in Europe, 26 meters long and 16 meters high. You can't climb it - it's fraught, but seeing it is absolutely necessary.

In 1881, Prince Edmund Clary und Olringen, who owned local lands, built a castle next to Pravcicka Brana, called the “Falcon's Nest”. The building was erected in just one year! Today, it houses a national park museum and a restaurant with great views and not so great prices.

Kamenice is a river flowing through a winding mountain gorge. The Tikha souteska backwater, “Quiet Gorge” (Tichá soutěska), is especially beautiful. For almost a kilometer, tourists contemplate sheer walls up to hundreds of meters high and relict pine groves. Edmund's Gorge is the most colorful part of Kamenica!

The village of Jetřichovice is convenient a starting point to travel along the same name mountain range. Falkenstein and Mariina skála, beautiful viewpoints at an altitude of over 400 meters.

Ruins of the Schaunštejn fortress on a lonely rock. The fortification was destroyed either in the 15th or 16th centuries. And since then they have not been able to restore it.

There is in the north-west of the Czech Republic in the Usti region, on the very border with Germany, an amazingly beautiful protected place, which is called only Bohemian-Saxon Switzerland. This corner is almost untouched wildlife, a magical protected park that simultaneously covers the territory of two countries - the Czech Republic and Germany.

Many tourists from all over the country and beyond come here every day to enjoy the cleanest air and the wild beauty of the reserve, which is called the Czech Switzerland Park. It is interesting that part of the protected lands that ended up on the territory of neighboring Germany is called Saxon Switzerland.

Why are these places so attractive for those who are tired of civilization?

Czech Switzerland - brief description

It all started many thousands of years ago - it was then that amazingly beautiful canyons, crevices, gorges, sandstone rocks unusual in their shape and structure, as if endowed with a human soul, were formed from volcanic rocks on the lands of the current national park...

Dozens of centuries passed, and by 2000, a national park with an area of ​​80 sq. km appeared on the map of the country of beer and dumplings. - Czech paradise or Czech Switzerland. But long before this, a small urban-type settlement - Grzhensk - became a real tourist center, a berth for everyone who wanted to relax away from noisy cities. It is well developed here tourism infrastructure and, despite its modest size, in this town, always filled with tourists, there is always a place to stay for the night or just have an inexpensive and tasty snack.

Most often, guests come from the capital to admire the protected paradise, and the trip can take only one day. But if you want to have a full and quality rest, it is best to book accommodation in a boarding house or a hotel room for at least 2-3 days, since there is really something to catch the eye of even a very experienced traveler.

Attention! In Grzhensk you can buy cute souvenirs in the form of gnomes and other fairy-tale characters for children or just as a good memory.

Sights of Czech Switzerland

So, you are eager to see with your own eyes what other guests of this magical place are enthusiastically talking about. Then let's together make a list of attractions in the reserve that are simply prohibited by the law of conscience and honor to miss!

Advice! If you want to fully enjoy bright colors the luxurious nature of these places - go to Czech Switzerland in the fall, in September or October.

Thanks to numerous signs scattered throughout the protected park, you can choose for your company both more complex, longer, 15-25 km long, and simple routes in Czech Switzerland, 8-12 km long.

Pravcicka Gate

There is a special rock in Czech Switzerland, which is proudly called the symbol of the entire reserve. This is “Pravchitsky brana”, which in Russian sounds like “Pravchitsky gate”. The unique rock is the highest in all of Europe and looks like a monumental sandstone arch created by Mother Nature, 16 meters high and as much as 26 meters long. The width of the rock structure is more than 4 meters

Getting to the Gate will not be difficult - from Grzhensk, where you can leave your car, there is a walking trail about 4 km long. to get closer to the attraction, you will have to pay entrance tickets for 75 CZK and although climbing the Gate is not allowed, it is worth admiring it up close. Entrance ticket for children costs 25 CZK.

From the grandiose Pravchitsky Gate you can easily reach its smaller copy with a height of only 2 meters - this is the so-called Small Pravchitsky Gate. There is a fairly wide path leading to them, suitable for cycling.

Advice! Do not confuse this trail with the narrow path marked in red on the maps of the area, otherwise you will have to wander through the mountains for about an hour, although in the end you will still be able to reach the Small Pravchitsky Gate.

Schaunstein Castle

Near the Small Gate you can see a sign leading to the rock castle - this is the robber castle of Shunstein, shrouded in secrets. The road to it is quite difficult, about a kilometer long, you will have to climb steep steps and even squeeze through tunnels between the rocks. But, believe me, the views of extraordinary beauty and scale that open from the observation deck of the castle are worth the effort!

Castle "Falcon's Nest"

Very close to the Pravchitsky Gate, right in the rock in 1882, a castle with the romantic name “Falcon's Nest” was built, more reminiscent of a large hunting lodge. It has been surprisingly well preserved to this day, and today, within the walls of the ancient castle - the family estate of the Clary-Aldringens, you can enjoy dinner in a magnificently decorated restaurant overlooking the whole of Czech Switzerland. Also in the Falcon's Nest it is worth visiting a museum dedicated to this region.

Mill "Dolsky Mlyn"

This once very popular mill has now turned into ruins, but even today residents of these areas remember how many years ago the fairy tale “The Arrogant Princess” was filmed here. It’s hard to believe that the building, lost in the green forests, was once a very busy place and a crossroads center for several centuries in a row.

Village "Hrzypska"

The colorful authentic village was loved by guests of this region because it was where an ancient glass workshop once functioned, whose glassblowers produced “Bohemian glass” back in the 15th century. It seems incredible, but the workshop still cordially opens its doors to tourists today: here you can intelligently read account books of past centuries, see live how the most famous glass in the Czech Republic is blown, and at the same time buy your favorite glasses, vases or figurines made of crystal or Bohemian glass

Abandoned silver mines

In Czech Switzerland they also organize very interesting excursions to ancient mines where silver was once mined. You can personally feel like a real miner by putting on a safety helmet and descending into the depths of the mine under the supervision of a guide.

Falkenstein Castle

Those tourists who take the time to climb higher into the mountains will be amazed by an unforgettable sight - the unusual Falkenstein Castle, located right among the rocks. The views from here, especially if you climb higher, are fabulous!

Panska Skala

This geological phenomenon is a huge 12-meter cliff, which was skillfully assembled by nature from polygonal basalt slabs. There is a similar giant in Northern Ireland, however, the Czech stone relative is quite accessible to tourists and is located 500 meters south of highway No. 13, the landmark is the village of Prachen, located 18 km from Decin.

Kamenice Gorge

To visit this picturesque gorge, you need to follow the hiking trail marked on the map green, from the village of Mezna to the canyon of the Kamenice river. In these marvelous lands, you will cross a wooden bridge across a 30-meter-long gorge, and then you can go down to the piers, from where gondola excursions along the Dikoe and Quiet gorges are held. If tourists follow the path marked in blue on the map, they will come to the authentic village of Mezni-Luka.

Gorges Wild and Quiet

Let's take a closer look at these gorges. Once on the steep canyon of the Kamenitsa River, travelers find themselves in places where the river is blocked by dams. Between these dams you can raft on a flat-bottomed boat led by a local gondolier. First, guests of the reserve will sail through the Wild Gorge (“Divoka Souteska”), 250 meters long, romantic and calm. But then the Quiet Gorge (“Tikha Souteska”), almost 500 meters long and “decorated” with a picturesque waterfall, the waters of which noisily flow out of the rock, awaits them.

Suha Kamenica

In early spring and autumn months, the canyon of a small stream flowing into the Laba (arm of the Elbe) fills with water and dozens of miniature waterfalls gurgle merrily between the rocks over a scattering of huge boulders. In summer, the waters dry up, and Suha Kamenica is filled with mystery and cozy silence.

Gazebo

It was once possible to reach the spectacular Belvedere observation deck, hanging over the Elbe River canyon, along a perfectly straight road coming from the castle in the town of Binovce. Tourists are welcome at the Belvedere amazing views a bending river and bizarre sandstone cliffs reminiscent of petrified giants.

Ružovsky Vrh

For those who are not afraid of steep climbs, something awaits! In the thickets of the beech forest that densely covers Mount Ruzovsky Vrch, there are many unique observation platforms. And although there are no special attractions here, the views are worth the effort spent on climbing.

Wolf board

Having passed along the road through the canyon of the Krinitsa River, called Kiyovske Udoli and known for its unbridled beauty, tourists will come to another attraction. This is a stone slab; in the 17th century, a story was carved on it about a hunter who was able to kill two wolves at once.

From Prague to Czech Switzerland: what tourists need to know

It is worth noting that the excursion from Prague to Czech Switzerland is very popular, since the journey does not take very much time, but the pleasure received is worth it!

The reserve is open to visitors all year round: from April to October you can be on its territory from 10-00 to 18-00, and from November to March - only on weekends from 10-00 to 16-00.

How to get from Prague to Czech Switzerland

Let's consider all the options:

  • Public transport: in Prague itself we take the train to the town of Decin. Here we change to shuttle bus No. 434, which will take us to Khrzhensko.
  • Own or rented car: we drive along the intercity highway to the town of Decin, then from there we go to Khrzhensko. Here you can leave your car in paid parking lots and continue exploring the reserve on foot.
  • Steamboat: first you will have to take a train to Decin, from Decin you will need to walk about a kilometer to the pier, and from there, on a steamship plying along the Labe River (aka Elbe), swim to final stop, which is also located about 800 meters from Grzhensk.

Where to stay

Despite the fact that Grzhensk is a rather small town, there are no problems with accommodation here.

Relatively affordable hotels are:

  • Hotel “Labe”, where bus number 434 stops. The cost of daily accommodation in a room starts from 660 CZK, and in the season (from April to the end of October) - from 730 CZK (breakfast is included in the price). Hotel website: www.labehotel.cz
  • Hotel U Lipy offers accommodation in double or triple rooms, which cost 1,100 and 1,650 CZK per night respectively. Hotel website:www.hotelulipy.zaridi.to/lipa.htm

Cost of entrance ticket and excursions

The entrance ticket to the territory of the Czech Switzerland Nature Reserve costs 50 CZK. Excursions are paid separately. For example, the favorite excursion of all tourists - canoeing along the Edmund's Gorge - lasts about 15-20 minutes and costs 80 crowns for adults and half as much for children.

Other excursions vary in price and number of attractions visited. In principle, you can get a map of the territory at the entrance to the reserve and walk around those areas yourself. interesting places that attract you most.