Bohemian Switzerland ( cs, České Švýcarsko; german: Böhmische Schweiz), also known as Czech Switzerland, is a picturesque region in the north-western

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. It has been a protected area (as Elbe Sandstone Mountains Protected Landscape Area) since 1972. The region along the right side of the Elbe became a national park on 1 January 2000, the Bohemian Switzerland National Park. The National Park is adjacent to the

Saxon Switzerland National Park Saxon Switzerland National Park (german: Nationalpark Sächsische Schweiz), is a national park in the German Free State of Saxony, near the Saxon capital Dresden. It covers two areas of 93.5 km² (36.1 mi²) in the heart of the German ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Etymology

The concept of Bohemian Switzerland developed in the 18th century as an extension of the

Saxon Switzerland Saxon Switzerland (german: Sächsische Schweiz) is a hilly climbing area and national park around the Elbe valley south-east of Dresden in Saxony, Germany. Together with the Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic it forms the Elbe Sand ...

, the part of the

Elbe Sandstone Mountains The Elbe Sandstone Mountains, also called the Elbe Sandstone Highlands (german: Elbsandsteingebirge; cs, Děčinská vrchovina), are a mountain range straddling the border between the state of Saxony in southeastern Germany and the North Bohemia ...

in Germany. The name was inspired by the Swiss artists

Adrian Zingg Adrian Zingg (April 15, 1734, St.Gallen – May 26, 1816, Leipzig) was a Swiss painter. Life Adrian Zingg received his professional training with his father, the steel cutter Bartolomäus Zingg, then became an apprentice with the engra ...

and

Anton Graff Anton Graff (18 November 1736 – 22 June 1813) was an eminent Swiss portrait artist. Among his famous subjects were Friedrich Schiller, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Heinrich von Kleist, Frederick the Great, Friederike Sophie Seyler, Johann Go ...

, who were reminded of their homeland by the geography of northern Bohemia.

Geography

Bohemian Switzerland lies on the Czech side of the

north of Děčín, on both banks of the

Elbe The Elbe (; cs, Labe ; nds, Ilv or ''Elv''; Upper and dsb, Łobjo) is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Giant Mountains of the northern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia (western half of the Czech Re ...

River. It extends eastward into the

Lusatian Mountains The Lusatian Mountains ( cs, Lužické hory; german: Lausitzer Gebirge; pl, Góry Łużyckie) are a mountain range of the Western Sudetes on the southeastern border of Germany with the Czech Republic. They are a continuation of the Ore Mountains ...

and westward into the Ore Mountains. Its highest elevation is the mountain Děčínský Sněžník at 723 m above sea level.

History

A large number of castles were built in the Bohemian Switzerland region in order to guard the trade routes. Several of these castles were also used as

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

robber baron hideouts. The region had been very sparsely populated since ancient times by a few Germanic, Slavic and Celtic tribes, but was finally colonised in the 12th century by German-speaking settlers. Until the end of the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

it was home to

German Bohemians German Bohemians (german: Deutschböhmen und Deutschmährer, i.e. German Bohemians and German Moravians), later known as Sudeten Germans, were ethnic Germans living in the Czech lands of the Bohemian Crown, which later became an integral part of ...

(later known as the Sudeten Germans). Since its German population was driven out after 1945, the area has been almost exclusively settled by Czechs. The area first began to draw tourists in large numbers in the 19th century. Artists of the

Romantic era Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

were inspired by the wild beauty of the rocks. For example, the artist, Ludwig Richter or the composer,

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 or 19 November 17865 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and critic who was one of the first significant composers of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas, ...

, who set his famous

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

Der Freischütz ' ( J. 277, Op. 77 ''The Marksman'' or ''The Freeshooter'') is a German opera with spoken dialogue in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind, based on a story by Johann August Apel and Friedrich Laun from their 18 ...

'' in the vicinity of

Rathen Rathen is a village in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, in Saxony, Germany, about southeast of Dresden. The village occupies both banks of the river Elbe and, as of 2020, has 339 inhabitants. Rathen is a popular tourist destination, the main sigh ...

National park

As early as 1972, the whole of Bohemian Switzerland was placed under protection. When, in 1990, the status of

was raised to that of a national park, efforts were stepped up to place the Bohemian part of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains under national park protection as well. A plan devised in 1991 envisaged that this would also include the Růžovský vrch (formerly ''Rosenberg''). This plan was heavily resisted by various groups, such as the owners of

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

land and the

forestry industry The wood industry or timber industry (sometimes lumber industry -- when referring mainly to sawed boards) is the industry concerned with forestry, logging, timber trade, and the production of primary forest products and wood products (e.g. furn ...

. A compromise proposal also fell on stony ground. In 1999 the Czech government decided to create the Bohemian Switzerland National Park to its originally envisaged extent. On 1 January 2000 the valuable forest and rock landscape, the gorges of the Kamnitz and the area around the ''Růžovský vrch'' were given national park status. The headquarters of the national park authority is located in

Krásná Lípa Krásná Lípa (; german: Schönlinde) is a town in Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 3,400 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages of Dlouhý Důl, Hely, Kamenná Horka, Krásný Buk, Kyjov, ...

, and there are information offices in

Hřensko Hřensko (german: Herrnskretschen) is a municipality and village in Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants. Administrative parts The village of Mezná is an administrative part of Hřen ...

and

Jetřichovice Jetřichovice (german: Dittersbach) is a municipality and village in Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 400 inhabitants. The folk architecture in the village of Vysoká Lípa is well preserved and i ...

Sights

* Pravčická brána, the largest natural sandstone arch in Europe * Edmund's Gorge and Stille Gorge, a rock ravine near

* Tisa Rocks, a rock labyrinth * Děčínský Sněžník, highest mountain of Bohemian Switzerland with its observation tower * Šaunštejn Castle, a robber baron rock castle near Vysoká Lipa * Mariina skála, viewing point near

* Vilemínina stěna, viewing point near Jetřichovice *

Rudolfův kámen The Rudolfův kámen (also called Ostroh; german: Rudolfstein or ''Hoher Stein'') is a rocky hill in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in the Czech Republic, in the territory of Jetřichovice. It is located in the in the Bohemian Switzerland National Pa ...

, viewing point near Jetřichovice * Pavlinino údolí, the deeply incised, romantic valley of the Chřibská Kamenice stream * Falkenštejn Castle, rock castle *

Rock chapel Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

in Všemily * Belvedér near Labská Stráň, mountain * Malá Pravčická brána, natural sandstone arch *Na Tokáni, historic inn and hostel *Emperor's View on the Stoličná hora near Děčín *The well tended villages with their

Upper Lusatian house The Upper Lusatian house or ''Umgebindehaus'' is a special type of house that combines log house, timber-framing and building stone methods of construction. It is especially common in the region running from Silesia through Upper Lusatia and North ...

External links

*
Photographs of the regionBohemian Switzerland - about it, free download map for travellers created by localsPhotos of Bohemian Switzerland
{{Authority control National parks of the Czech Republic Protected areas established in 1972 Bohemia Elbe Sandstone Mountains Geography of the Ústí nad Labem Region Tourist attractions in the Ústí nad Labem Region