Few places in Central Europe offer such a harmonious landscape as the Šumava National Park. The deep forests on the Czech-Bavarian border are so vast as to form the largest forested area on the continent. A combination of centuries-old primaeval forests, crystal-clear glacial lakes, and mysterious peat bogs creates a uniquely poetic place for active holidays at all times of year.
The national park was for many years a strictly patrolled area where people were not allowed, thus the local landscape was able to retain its rare beauty and purity. Because of its uniqueness on a European scale, the Šumava National Park was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
Just look around
The rounded hills of the Šumava National Park offer an ideal vantage point for distant views of the surrounding countryside. One of the most beautiful vistas of the Šumava landscape awaits you from the look-out tower atop mountain Poledník (Meridian), from which the entire mountain ranges opens up before you. In good visibility you can even see as far as the distant Alps from the look-out towers on the Boubín and Javorník mountains.
Lakes that contain remnants of the glacial past
Among the most beautiful areas of the national park are its glacial lakes. Anyone who sets off on the marked trail leading to the top of Plechý Hill will be rewarded with a wonderful view of the lake below. Among the most popular destinations are the biggest and deepest bodies of water in Šumava – Čertovo (Devil’s) and Černé (Black) lakes, which are less accessible but all the more beautiful.
Wild and unbridled nature
The national park is home to many endangered animals and plants. Some of them are true rarities in the Czech Republic which you can see only here. The most valuable sites in the national park include the Boubínský primaeval forest, where nature has evolved undisturbed for hundreds of years. The result is a wild and unbridled forest area with tangled roots, twisted branches and wrinkled bark that perfectly evokes the fairytale forests of the Brothers Grimm.