Bohemian Switzerland National Park – Natural and landscape values of the Czech Republic 1.

Location: Ústi nad Labem Region 

The Bohemian Switzerland National Park (Národní park České Švýcarsko), which was established on 1st January 2000 and covers an area of nearly 80km2, is the youngest one of the four national parks in the Czech Republic. On its northern side borders itis linked to the Saxon Switzerland National Park in Germany.

The National Park is famous of the unique sandstone rock towns with the occurance of rare plant and animal species and islands of well-preserved (pine, herb-rich beech) woods. Natural values of the National Park have also been acknowledged within the European Union by including it in the prestigious list of European conservation areas called Natura 2000. The park also represents beautiful samples from the local folk architecture (half-timbered houses etc.) in the village of Mezná.

The most widely known rock formation of the Bohemian Switzerland National Park is the Pravčická Brána, the largest natural stone bridge on our continent and symbol of the entire area. The span of the arch at the bottom is 26.5 m, the height of the opening is 16 m, width 7-8 m, minimum thickness 3 m, and the surface area of the bridge is 21 m above its base.