Bohemian Switzerland is one of the national parks of the Czech Republic. Bohemian Switzerland, Hřensko - on boats along the canyon Bohemian Switzerland Czech Republic

Czech Switzerland is the name of the north-western 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 on the territory of the already Saxon Switzerland.

Miraculous sights

The most high mountain The Czech Republic of Switzerland is Decinsky Sneznik, which rises 723 meters above sea level. This indicates that this mountain range is not high. Mountain formations appeared thousands of years ago, creating an amazingly beautiful landscape: 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 represent a natural gateway from the rock mass and are the largest creation of this type of nature on the European continent. The span of this miraculous arch is measured more than 26 meters, and its height reaches 21 meters.

The thickness of the rock of the gate is also impressive, which at its narrowest point is 3 meters. The upper part of the arch is rather narrow, so access to its site is closed.

Passing under the arch of the Pravchitsky Gate, along the paths and stairs you can climb observation decks, from where the stunning beauty of the landscapes of the mountain landscape opens 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 XIX century. Today the exposition of the National Park Museum is located on the second floor of the building. The first floor is occupied by a restaurant with an original interior design, 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 called 1515. In the middle of the last century, the mill served as a backdrop for the shooting of the popular fairy tale film “The Proud Princess” directed by Bořivoje Zemana.

Over time, the building began to decline, 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, which was built at the beginning of the last century. It is a unique historical building, since it is the first object built of reinforced concrete in the territory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

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

Schaunstein rock castle

The Schaunstein Castle, built in the first half of the 14th century, is located in the park in a dense forest. It was erected 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 only ruins remain of it.

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

Viewpoints of the reserve

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

Another platform in the form of a huge terrace, as if hanging 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 Bohemian Switzerland. Their coat of arms, carved right 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.

My first trip to "Czech Switzerland" ( České Švýcarsko) was of a random nature: preparing for a Christmas tour of European cities (the main of which was Prague), I was looking for what to see in different countries and how best to plan my route. And then I came across the Pravchitsky gate. "What is it, where is it, how is it?"

And on the way from Dresden to Prague after the national park "Saxon Switzerland" (and I have already told about the trip there) I find myself in "Czech Switzerland". The nature there is really different from what I'm used to seeing in the center of the Czech Republic.

And visiting at least the main attractions promises leisure... On his second visit to national park already in the summer, not in the winter, I spent the whole day exploring the "Saxon" and "Czech" Switzerland: I left Dresden early in the morning and returned to Prague in the late evening. And this is taking into account the fact that the distance between cities is some 150 kilometers - not like long-distance trips across Russia.

I had to walk a lot, so I advise you to be fully armed: sports shoes (preferably with a soft, shock-absorbing sole, since my legs literally "buzzed" after only Pravchitsky gate), comfortable clothes, a bottle of water and maybe some kind of snack.

So, what is “Bohemian Switzerland” and what can you see there? I'll tell you now.

The history of the park

I did not hear any legends and epics around the rocks, crevices and canyons formed here several thousand years ago due to the movement of volcanic rocks.

Therefore, I had to look for interesting information myself. It turns out that in the XIII-XIV centuries, colonizers were invited here from the lands where modern Germany is now located, and castles and other buildings were erected here. They also started the production of glass and coal mining. But due to the absence of plains and dense forests, their life was, to put it mildly, not simple and very specific. In one place, I was convinced with my own eyes that it is not so easy to deliver food and other necessary things here. But more on that below.

So, all this specificity was reflected in the architecture. But in the last century, many buildings and even settlements fell into decay. Probably, the possibility and accessibility of an easier life played an important role and people simply moved. Now here and there on the territory of "Czech Switzerland" you can contemplate the most picturesque ruins!

I have already talked about the name of the park, namely the word "Switzerland", so I will not repeat myself. In 2000, this area was given the status of a national reserve.

Geography of the park

České Švýcarsko- all the same Elbe Sandstone Mountains, which I talked about at More precisely, a quarter of this mountain range... The national park is located in the north of the country; its western border runs along the Elbe River. It was from there that I stopped by “Czech Switzerland” both times. Actually, both national parks ("Saxon" and "Czech") are divided by the border between Germany and the Czech Republic, they are adjacent to each other.

The most high point National Park - Mount Decinsky Snezhnik ( Děčínský Sněžník) - located at 723 meters above sea level. When I first heard about this, I smiled: I arrived in “Czech Switzerland” shortly after the Austrian Alps, where I lived in a hotel at an altitude of about 1,200-1,300 meters. But, in the end, the reserve is not far from being famous!

Later in the text I have added some maps. They will help you better imagine the geography of the area, but they are unlikely to explain how to get to a particular attraction. But! In the near settlement to each of them (and they are just visible on my maps), you can take a detailed paper map, as well as use the signs along the roads and trails. The park took care of the convenience of sightseeing, which I personally really liked.

How to get to "Czech Switzerland"

Globally there are two options: with a guided tour or on your own. I chose to travel in a rented car without guides and a group of onlookers. But for those who want to take a tour of the nature reserve, I advise you to read about tours from Dresden or Prague to "Saxon Switzerland" (in the same place, I think, they also offer to the Czech part). The prices, it seems to me, are similar, because there are parks in the neighborhood. Below I will tell you about an independent journey to "Czech Switzerland" by car.

From Prague

You can drive from Prague to Czech Switzerland from different directions. There is a travel option through Hřensko. It is not far from this city that the Pravchitsky Gate is located. By the way, the first time I read Hřensko as Hrensko (I did not see the grips above the letter "r", which gives the sound [hw]), and it happened: to this day I call an innocent town almost like a vegetable (everyone carries out associations to the extent of depravity, huh?). I marked the route Through Khrzhensk on the map below, the first half of the way will pass through the motorway, and then I propose to move along a regular road past towns and picturesque fields.

You can also enter via Jetřichovice. The route to Děčín is the same as the previous one, and at the fork follow the signs.

Or Krasná Lípa. In theory, you can drive through the same Děčín, it seems to me that in time it will not be too big a detour.

But the last half hour flew by faster: there were still no toilets on the way, the flow of tourists is small, but there is always, so now the "walk!" was supported not only by curiosity, but also by obvious necessity.

On the way, we met such cute "installations": I don't know who and why "propped up" the mountain, but the sight amused me.

And finally you can see the Falcon's Nest estate (now the hotel / restaurant of the same name) and the Pravchitsky Gate to the right of it. It would seem, only to lend a hand. It was not so: the vertical distance from me to the destination was several tens of meters, which also had to go in a loop.

But all the efforts were justified. The height of the arch itself reaches 26 meters, so, standing in this natural opening, you feel all the greatness of nature. In addition, there was a stall near the gate with my beloved ones. By the way, they cost less than at: only 1.25 EUR or 34 CZK.

After going through the arch of the gate, you can see many trails leading to the observation decks. And literally "the whole world is at your feet."

Falcon's Nest (zámek Sokolí hnízdo)

Almost under the Pravchitsky Gate is the summer estate Falcon's Nest. The owners used to accommodate distinguished guests there. Now inside the castle there is an exhibition about the history of "Bohemian Switzerland" and a restaurant.

The restaurant has preserved original paintings, and the interior is designed in the style of the beginning of the last century.

I didn’t dine in the restaurant, as the local worker, as I understood, had already closed it. To be honest, I could not fully understand him: he agreed to speak only Czech and German, so the conversation came out almost on the fingers. But they let me into the toilet.

Near the "Falcon's Nest" there is a booth with the control of the cable car.

I understand that walking and carrying the necessary things here is not handy, so a utility box runs along the cable car, where you can fold the necessary things and send them up or down.

Šaunštejn Castle or Šaunštejn

I heard that the castle used to be a robber. That is, they built it as a fortification, but later it was captured by robbers and changed its name. Šaunštejn translates as "thieves' castle".

The castle itself has not survived, so now you can be content with the ruins and a good observation deck.

Connecting bridges are laid between parts of this site. You know, the sensations are quite exciting when you walk like this literally next to an abyss along a connecting structure, which at first glance seems rather light!

Dolský Mlýn

They say that the fragments that have survived from the mill date back to the beginning of the XIV century!

I heard that in the middle of the last century, the place even became a decoration for a Czech fairy tale film. You can even say that the film glorified this landmark.

Over time, without leaving the mill fell into decay more and more, until in 2007 it was declared a cultural monument and the process of destruction was stopped.

By the way, a hundred meters upstream there is a unique building: a reinforced concrete bridge. I heard that this is the first such structure (made of steel and concrete) in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the bridge was built shortly before its collapse.

The nearest village to the mill is Kamenická Stráň, which is one kilometer away.

Royal spruce

They say that half a kilometer from the Dolskoy mill there is one spruce. Its age is about 180 years, and the trunk coverage is about 3 meters. Alas, I myself have not seen this ancient tree, since I was limited in time, but do not be lazy and walk to it from the mill.

Hřensko

To be honest, I really liked this small town almost on the border with Germany. Most likely, there are not enough just tenants here: almost all of them keep a hotel, restaurant or something else for the needs of tourists. But 2–3 storey houses are decorated very authentically, this is how small village towns or villages seem to me.

I also liked the fact that globally there are only two streets in Khrzhensky, running parallel along two banks. Still, high cliffs do not give room for expanding the territory inward.

If you go along the rivulet from the highway where you turned to Khrzhensky (remember, I asked you to remember this path?), Then at the very end of it, in front of the parking lot, which I mentioned in the part about Pravchitsky Gate, there is a waterfall.

Near him, I took two identical pictures in the direction of the city: one in winter, and the second in summer.

The difference, in my opinion, is not big.

There are many souvenirs near the track, but I didn't buy anything there. It is difficult to say what prices: on the one hand, this is the Czech Republic, on the other, Germany and its prices are quite close. There is also another parking lot, you can ask the workers about the toilet nearby.

Other attractions

There are places where I have not been able to visit, but I will definitely make up for it on my next visit:

• Dittersbacher Peaks.
• Waterfalls near Brtniki.
• Boat trip on the Křinice River (Kirnitzschklamm) on the border of the Czech Republic and Germany.

And that's just what I heard after the trip. I'm pretty sure that if you start digging, then less tourist places national park.

Park routes

At the moment, there are dozens of well-marked hiking trails and routes on the territory of the park: signs, a certain specificity of coverage and relief for the type of tourism, picturesqueness. In "Czech Switzerland" you can go rock climbing, horseback riding, cycling, camping in equipped places (and only in them!).

True, I was researching the territory on my own, without resorting to the help of tourist centers, but I can tell you the addresses of organizations that will help organize your leisure time if necessary:

• In the town of Krasna Lipa (Krásná Lípa).
  • Opening hours: June - August from 09:00 to 18:00, January - February until 16:00, in other months until 17:00; break from 12:00 to 12:30.
  • Address: Krinicke nam. 5, Krasna Lipa 407 46.
• In Hřensko.
  • Opening hours: November - January from 09:00 to 17:00, in other months until 18:00.
  • Address: Hřensko 71, 407 17 Hřensko.
• In Srbská Kamenice.
  • Address: Nam. Miru 73, Ceska Kamenice, 407 21.
• In Jetřichovice.
  • Address: Jetшichovice 393, CZ - 407 16.

Among the main routes, I know there are:

• To the rocky gates (Pravchitsky): along ornate stones and paths, then along the rocky wall (I and I passed it). Then the program "Falcon's Nest" - visiting observation platforms on the tops of the rocks near the gates.
• To the Dolskaya mill.
• To Schaunstein.

Where to stay

If you want to prefer a campsite to the hotel, then in the above-mentioned tourist centers, you should inquire about special parking lots, outside the equipped campsites to break tent city not: a specially protected area, after all.

If you are more attracted to the east, then choose Krasnu-Lipa or Khrzybska.

Room prices start from EUR 8–10 for a camping site and EUR 45 for a double room with one bed.

"Bohemian Switzerland" in winter

I was in the national park in winter, but their winter was rather slushy at that time, so there was no question of any walk along the forest paths. Castle Falcon's Nest, again, summer. So I had to be content with waterfalls on rivers and towns around the "Czech Switzerland".

Also an aggregation of prices from all distributors, all in one place, let's go!

Anything to add?

The rocky areas around the city of Decin (Decin, 80 km north-west of Prague) have received the figurative name "Bohemian Switzerland" (Ceske Svycarsko, www.npcs.cz). These lands received their rather unusual name not from the country of Switzerland, but in honor of two Swiss artists - Adrian Zing and Anton Graff, who worked on the reconstruction of the Dresden Gallery and in their free time went to the open air in small villages near the Saxon-Czech border. They liked these places so much that both masters decided not to return home under the pretext that they had already found their Switzerland.

This poetic name, however, poorly reflects the real landscapes of the region - the massifs of the Elbe Sandstone, Decinsky and Middle Bohemian mountains are not high here (the maximum point is Decinsky Sneznik, 722 m) and heavily destroyed, and the more well-preserved ancient volcanic massifs are indented by canyons, river valleys and crevices. But on the other hand, the general charm of these places more than compensates for some discrepancy in names, and the most beautiful territories became part of the national park of the same name.

sights

The geological phenomenon is the adornment of these places. Panska Skala(Panska skala, Herrnhausfelsen) - a massive cliff made of polygonal columns of basalt. It was formed millions of years ago in the process of incursion of incandescent magma into the thickness of the earth's crust. In fact, these polygonal columns, somewhat reminiscent of organ pipes, are, so to speak, basalt crystals exposed by erosion processes and human activity (the massif "appeared" during the development of a quarry at the end of the 19th century). Unlike its famous counterpart in Northern Ireland, the 12-meter Panska Skala is easily accessible and lies just 500 meters south of Route 13, near the village of Prachen (18 km east of Decin).

The second point of attraction in the region is the picturesque Kamenice gorge... From the village Mezna (Mezna, 12 km northeast of Decin) "green" hiking trail descends into the coolness of the canyon of the Kamenice River, which runs from the east, from the slopes of the Luzhitsky Mountains, and breaks through the cliffs of the Chinsky Mountains (Chinsky Steni) in this area. Crossing a thirty-meter gorge along wooden bridge(Mezni mustek), you can go down to the piers, from where mini-excursions on punt boats begin down the river to the Ticha souteska and Divoka souteska gorges, to the picturesque village of Mezni Louka, it is better to climb here on foot the "blue" path, although there is a river here too), to the village of Hrensko (here the river flows into the Elbe) or to climb 5 km up the river to the village of Jetrichovice, where the canyon becomes shallow and turns into a picturesque valley, or else 8 kilometers south, to the picturesque town of Ceska Kamenice (Ceska Kamenice, Bohmisch Kamnitz, 18 km east of Decin along route 13) with its beautiful pilgrimage church.

The massifs of the Elbe Sandstone, Decin and Middle Bohemian Mountains are not high here (the maximum point is Decinsky Sneznik, 722 m) and are heavily destroyed, and the more well-preserved ancient volcanic massifs are indented by canyons, river valleys and crevices. In total, 79 square meters are allocated for the protected area. km, however, a lot of interesting things are concentrated on such a small, at first glance, territory - the geological phenomenon Panska skala (Herrnhausfelsen) made of polygonal columns of basalt, picturesque gorges of Kamenice, Suha-Kamenice, Tihoe (Edmundovo) and Dikoe, a rocky arch bridge " Pravcicka Brana, picturesque mountain settlements (about 36 towns and villages in total), 15 hiking and cycling trails with a total length of about 110 km, the castle-hotel "Falcon's Nest" (1881, now houses a museum of the reserve and a restaurant ), castles in Decin (X-XVII centuries, one of the oldest in Europe) and Binovec, excellent viewpoints of Stolicna Hora, Snezicka vyhlidka and Belveder, "Czech Fuji" - Mount Ruzovsky Vrch (619 m), as well as picturesque forests and many clean rivers.

How to get there

You can get to the national park through the towns of Decin, Hřensko, Krasna Lipa and Etrshovice from Prague by train (Hlavniho Nadrazi station) or by bus to Decin (about an hour and a half), then changing to local buses (from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the final points). It is also easy to get from Dresden via Sebnitz and Mikulasovice to Krasna Lipa.

The Czech Republic is not offended by the mountains. The Czech mountains, of course, are not high, but picturesque. And one mountainous region even got the name "" ( České Švýcarsko)... Eco marvel, you say, the labels "switzerland" and "venice" are the most common. A little city in the canals - right there "Venice". And if the terrain is hilly - "Switzerland", of course.

As for Bohemian 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 overgrown with forests. “Well, like we have in Switzerland,” said the artists. And so it happened.

On the Czech side, the Bohemian Switzerland National Park was formed. And on the other side of the Elbe - "Saxon Switzerland". We visited both there and there. In this article I will talk about our walk through Bohemian Switzerland, and in the next one, about Saxon Switzerland.

We left Prague at about 8 am and two hours later we were already approaching the Czech-German border. The river (in Czech Laba), along which the border of the countries passes, looks very romantic in this place: it is not narrow and not wide, it flows among wooded mountains, along its banks you can see houses here and there, but in general the place seems secluded and quiet ...

Hrzhensko town

Our goal - town of Hrzhensko, which stands at the confluence of the Kamenitsa River into the Laba. From Hřensko begin hiking trails in the national park Bohemian Switzerland.

Pier near Hřensko

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

The hotel opposite is more modest

We turn right and move along the Kamenitsa river.

The town of Hřensko begins with long trade rows. Vietnamese trade here.

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

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

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

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

The series of houses along Kamenitsa is completed by the Hotel Praha, one of the best in the city. And the whole Hřensko from “Labe” to “Praha” can be walked in 15 minutes.

Further, the paths diverge. There is a walking trail along the river (along it we returned to the city in three hours). On the right, there is a road leading to the village of Janov, on the left - to Mezné Louka and further to Jetřichovice, an old Saxon village.

Hiking trails in Bohemian Switzerland

Most of the tourists (including us) go to the town of Mezne Louka, from where hiking trails in the national park "Bohemian Switzerland" in the Hřensko region begin.

Scheme hiking trails Hřensko

The most popular route leads to Pravcicka Brana, a unique natural arched bridge. From Mezní Louka to Pravcicka Brana walk along the path for 70 minutes (as indicated on the park map) and then another 45 minutes will take the road to Hřensko.

We are heading along a different route. First, we pass 2 km along an asphalt road. The road goes through the fields.

Rocks can be seen in the distance above the tops of the trees.

We reach the boarding house "Na Vyhlidce".

A path begins behind the house that leads to the Kamenitsa River.

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

The mountain serpentine ends with an exit to the bridge.

We reached the bottom of the gorge. From the bridge, the canyon looks spectacular: vertical rock walls stand opposite each other. How long has the water cut through the rocks to make its way!

Beyond the bridge, the trail turns and goes along the coast along the rocks (and sometimes - under the overhanging rocks or in a punched tunnel).

At one point, the gorge makes a sharp turn and widens. At the site of the extension, there is a house, which houses a small museum dedicated to the nature of this region.

Rafting on the Kamenitsa river

And here is the pier. Near the walkways, there are punt-boats painted in bright green. The boat is designed for 26 people.

Waiting for the laggards

We load into the boat and set sail downstream.

This section of Kamenitsa is called.

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

In some places amusing wooden figures met among the rocks.

And behind the next turn such rocky fingers appeared.

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

The only time our privacy was violated - one boat passed by us, against the current. Yes, pushing the boat against the current with the sixth is not an easy task.

Finally the pier appeared. We disembarked and walked further along the path along the river.

I figured that our walk through protected forest came to an end, but the way to Hřensko took another 30-40 minutes. The gorge continued and continued, we all stretched along the path, there were few people, only people began to meet closer to Hřensko.

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National Park "Bohemian Switzerland" (also known as the national park "Bohemian Switzerland" was founded on January 1, 2000 and occupies an area of ​​almost 80 square kilometers. The park is located at northern border with Germany and continues on German territory (where it is called "Saxon Switzerland"). The task of creating the park is to preserve the natural beauty of these places, so that human intervention is strictly limited here.

The main treasure of the park is unique sandstone rock formations, covered with green islands of well-preserved old forests and rare plants. These rocks once rose from the bottom of the sea, where sand has been collecting for 10 million years to reach a thickness of more than 1 km by now. The most important geological processes took place here in the Mesozoic.

The modern amazing landscape of the national park is represented by these sediments, pressed into cliffs, which cracked and split under the influence of wind, rivers, temperature changes, etc., forming to our days stunningly picturesque cliffs, rocky towers, canyons, arches and windows. The most famous of these is the Pink Hill, the highest in Bohemian Switzerland.

The main treasure of the park is unique sandstone rock formations, covered with green islands of well-preserved old forests.

Bohemian Switzerland is a real forest kingdom. The forest covers almost all of its territory. Mainly coniferous-birch forests grow here, the oldest of which can be found in inaccessible gorges and on high cliffs. Since the soil on the latter is either poor or absent, very viable representatives of the flora grow here, creating very picturesque paintings with their curved trunks. Animal world the national park is also rich: the landscape creates ideal conditions for nesting of many species of birds, colonies of bats live in rocky crevices, shy and nocturnal animals such as deer live in forests.

History of Czech Switzerland

The first inhabitants of Bohemian Switzerland were probably hunters, fishermen and gatherers - which is natural for that time, more than 10 thousand years ago. They roamed the area, setting up settlements along the streams. Tools of labor, pieces of coal and utensils are still found here. Much later, Bohemian Switzerland was partially settled by farmers. From time to time, a fortified fort was erected here and there, and trade caravans went through the territory of the national park.

Hiking in Bohemian Switzerland

In the 13-14 centuries, Bohemian kings invited colonialists here from the territory of modern Germany. The latter built villas, stone castles, engaged in logging, began to produce glass and coal. But, since the forests were dense, and there were no wide plains in Bohemian Switzerland, the life of these communities had a specific character. The architecture was also specific: old half-timbered houses of a typical design (in particular, in Kamenicka Strana and Vysokaya Lipa) are still preserved in the national park. In the second half of the 20th century. many of these settlements, abandoned, have fallen into disrepair, and in some places in the park you can find the most picturesque ruins.

The tourism development of the region began quite early, in about the second half of the 18th century. Romantic painters living in Dresden began their first travels in what was later called Saxon Switzerland (the name was adapted in the Czech version). The systematic development of tourism began in the 19th century, when landowners from local estates (the Kinski and Clari-Aldringen families), as well as the first tourist communities (the Mountain Society of Bohemian Switzerland and the Mountain Society of North Bohemia) began to step by step increase the attractiveness of the region for travelers. The first walking trails, restaurants, hotels, observation decks and observation towers began to appear here. Lovers aquatic species more and more sports came here to sail on the Elbe, and the gorges in Kamenice were full of punt boats.

Bohemian Switzerland Tourism

Today, there are dozens of well-marked hiking trails in the park. Here you can ride a bike, go horseback riding and rock climbing in the designated areas, and stop overnight at the official campsite. You can even bring your pets here.

But what is not allowed is to leave the marked trail in zone I of the park.

Today, there are several extremely interesting places, to see which tourists travel from all over Europe. This is a natural stone arch 26 by 16 m, which is called the Pravčice Gate; gorges of the Kamenice river; valley of the Krynice river; the famous rock Pink Hill; the town of Vysokaya-Lipa; Dolskaya mill; Dittersbacher peaks; waterfalls near Brtniki ... You can list further, but it is already obvious: it is not enough to spend a day or two in Czech Switzerland. It is worth coming here as on a full-fledged vacation.

Practical information

Tourist centers are located in different parts of the national park. The main one is located in Krasnaya Lipa. Information centers are located in Saule, Jetrichovice, Serbska-Kamenica, Hrensko.

Working hours tourist center in Krasnaya Lipa: daily from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 12:30 to 17:00, in January - February - until 16:00, in June - August - until 18:00.

You can get to Krasnaya-Lipa by car in about two hours, if you go strictly north through Melnik and Cescu-Lipa. Another option is to take the train to Germany, to Bad Schandau, which is located in the German part of the national park (Saxon Switzerland). This trip will take about two hours.