Petřín Lookout Tower – the Czech Eiffel Tower
The
Petřín Lookout Tower rises above the old city centre of
Prague on Petřín hill, which is entirely covered with a
forest and
fruit orchard. This might be the reason why Petřín has become one of the most popular places for Prague residents to spend their free time walking or picnicking there. At the end of the 19th century, the tower builders were inspired by the famous Eiffel Tower at the Paris World Fair and decided to create a similar monumental structure in Prague. It only took three months to complete. The tower serves as a lookout point and offers a unique view over the entire Prague centre.
Čertovka Canal – Little Prague Venice
Vltava, the longest Czech river, flows through the centre of
Prague and has been used by people throughout the ages. One example of its use is seen in a millrace that has been preserved to this day, the
Čertovka canal in Lesser Town, which was once used to drive nine mills. The water flows in close proximity to the houses alongside the river to create scenery similar to the one we all know from Venice, Italy. There are still two functional mill wheels on Čertovka. Remember to stop by there on your stroll through the Prague centre!
Bohemian Switzerland National Park
You can find one of the smallest national parks in the Czech Republic can be found in
north Bohemia, bordering Germany with the adjacent Saxon Switzerland park. And why Switzerland? The typical features of the landscape include
rock ridges, canyons, sandstone towers and
tabletop mountains. It is a landscape not dissimilar to the mountain slopes of the Central Alps. Of course, you won’t be surrounded by three-thousand metre high peaks here… The highest mountain is only a little more than 600 metres tall, but you will definitely have the feeling that you are in the wilderness. The
Bohemian Switzerland National Park is not only a large complex of unpopulated forests and rocks. Nature is harmonically accompanied with folk timbered and half-timbered houses in the villages surrounding the park.
Soos Nature Reserve – the Czech Yellowstone
Not far from
Františkovy Lázně in
west Bohemia, you will find a peculiar, almost lunar landscape, furrowed by erosion and covered with a layer of precipitated mineral salts. This is the
Soos Reserve, a large moorland with numerous mineral springs known as the Czech Yellowstone, where pure carbon dioxide escapes from
small mud volcanos. The educational nature trail will lead you through the bottom of an extinct lake, which in ancient times was full of mineral water.
Lipno Reservoir – the South Bohemian Sea
The
Lipno Reservoir is located in
Šumava in
southern Bohemia, on the upper reaches of the Vltava River at an altitude of over 700 metres. As it is the largest water surface in the Czech Republic, it is sometimes called the
Czech sea. The reservoir is about 44 km long and 10 km at its widest point. Lipno is a popular holiday resort, both in the summer and winter. There are numerous beaches to enjoy in the summer, whether man-made sand beaches or natural grassy ones, and places for sports and cycling. In winter, cross-country skiing is the most popular sport and, when it is a really harsh winter, you can even skate on the frozen reservoir.
Nové Hrady Chateau – Czech Versailles
The
Nové Hrady Chateau near
Litomyšl in
eastern Bohemia is a dominant feature of the complex, entered through a gate with a French garden, administrative building, granary, Classicist arbour and more than ten different kinds of gardens. The chateau itself is one of the few
Rococo buildings in the Czech Republic. Built in the 18th century in the style of a French summer residence, the chateau is today known as the
Czech Versailles.
The most photogenic Czech countryside – Moravian Tuscany
Photographers call the
South Moravian landscape around
Kyjov the
Moravian Tuscany. The long strips of fields stretch to the horizon and almost seem to have no end. The picturesquely undulated countryside is adorned with a lone tree, escape cover, or a white chapel or wayside shrine here and there. It is
one of the most attractive destinations in the Czech Republic, where people often go just to take photos. Spring is the ideal season to photograph Moravian Tuscany, when the fields are ablaze with colour. The countryside is brightened by yellow rapeseed from the end of April to mid-May. In autumn, the fields are ploughed, making the hills and the colourful and green lines between the fields stand out even more.
Lower Dyje River wetlands – Moravian Amazonia
The Morava and Dyje rivers meet in the southernmost tip of
Moravia, amidst deep alluvial forests. The confluence of the rivers is also the border between the Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia. The area, nicknamed
Moravian Amazonia, is resplendent with
beautiful nature, almost free from any signs of human intervention, and inhabited by rare animals. The vast alluvial forest is dominated by oak and ash trees, some of which are up to 450 years old. The area is characterised by a dense network of meandering river arms and regularly flooded ponds. It is the home to many rare animals including the black stork, great Capricorn beetle and the beaver. You can also see flying red kites, eagles and honey buzzards. The area is difficult to access, but you can at least take in the edge of Moravian Amazonia by bike on a popular
cycle route.
