Šumava National Park

Šumava National Park, which is located at the southwestern edge of the Czech Republic by the Austrian border, is the country’s largest national park. The park was founded in 1991 as a means to protecting the local unique peat bogs, glacier lakes, beech and spruce forests and mountain meadows. Apart form its preservation and research purposes Šumava National Park is with its over 680 square kilometers a great area for hiking and relaxation in the middle of intact countryside. Apart from tourist routes for hiking the park features routes for cyclists, people in wheelchairs, and during the winter months routes for skiers. Visitors can make use of multiple tourist information centers (with lots of free information and promotional leaflets and brochures), museums and a watchtower. Šumava National Park is covered by 80% of forest and so this national park is sometimes called the green heart of Europe. In what's the largest continuous forest in central Europe there live many species of endangered plants and animals. What's more, the Šumava peat bogs, among the best known of which are the Three-Lake Peat Bog (Tříjezerní slať) or the Chalupská Peat Bog, are home to world-unique species of insects. Among the popular locations in the Šumava national park is the Boubín Forest which features trees that are up to four hundred years old. We recommend to combine your trip to Šumava National Park with a visit of other tourist sights of south Bohemia (e.g. Český Krumlov or the Hluboká Chateau) as well as other natural attractions.

www.npsumava.cz/en/