Czech Switzerland
The National Reservation of Czech Switzerland, the youngest national park of the Czech Republic, is located in North Bohemia right by the border with Germany. Visitors of this national park founded in 2000 and covering an area of almost 80 square kilometers can admire the local unique sandstone rock formations including the famous Pravčice Gate (Pravčická brána), the largest rock gate in Europe. Czech Switzerland features a rich variety of sandstone formations including rock cities, walls, gorges, mazes and towers. All these impressive sandstone works of nature were created by the erosion of the Cretaceous sea sediments that were risen to the ground in the Quaternary period during the Alpine Orogeny. This era also saw the emergence of the canyons of the Labe, Kamenice and Křinice Rivers, the Labe Canyon located near Hřensko being the place of the lowest altitude in the Czech Republic. It is thus an area ideal for hiking, rock-climbing or perhaps just admiring the natural wonders. What's more, you can enjoy your stay in the Czech Switzerland even if the weather should turn out not to be perfect since in that case you can visit the House of Czech Switzerland, a visitors' center with an wide array of information materials, a permanent exhibition and an Internet café, or an aqua park in the nearby city of Děčín. We suggest that you combine your trip to Czech Switzerland with visits to nearby villages and towns, some of which feature a number of architectonic monuments as well as other places of interest. Especially worthwhile is Česká Kamenice, where you can find the pilgrimage chapel of the Mother Mary's Birth, traditionally associated with many miracles of Mother Mary of Kamenice, a Baroque poorhouse or the dean church of St. James the Greater. Those interested in folk architecture should not miss the villages of Vysoká Lípa, Kamenická Stráň and Dlouhý Důl. The area of Czech Switzerland is an attractive option for a short trip as well as for a longer vacation in the Czech Republic.
Tourist Information: Hřensko 71, 407 17 Hřensko, +420 412 554 286, www.npcs.cz
