The Plöckenstein ( cz, Plechý) is a mountain, high, in the Bohemian Forest on the Austro- Czech border. Its summit is the highest point in the Bohemian Forest in both countries, and also the highest point in the regions of Mühlviertel and South Bohemia. It is well known as a result of stories by Adalbert Stifter.

Location

The Plöckenstein lies between the Austrian village of

Schwarzenberg Schwarzenberg may refer to: People * House of Schwarzenberg, Franconian and Bohemian aristocratic family which was first mentioned in 1172 ** Karl Philipp, Prince of Schwarzenberg (1771–1820), Field Marshal in Austrian service during the Napo ...

to the south and the Czech village of

Nová Pec Nová Pec (german: Neuofen) is a municipality and village in Prachatice District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 400 inhabitants. Administrative parts Villages of Bělá, Dlouhý Bor, Jelení, Láz, Nové Chalupy a ...

to the NE. Northeast of, and below the summit on Czech soil, is the lake of Plöckensteiner See, the southernmost of eight

glacial lake A glacial lake is a body of water with origins from glacier activity. They are formed when a glacier erodes the land and then melts, filling the depression created by the glacier. Formation Near the end of the last glacial period, roughly 10, ...

s in the Bohemian Forest; the northern mountainside is the core zone of the

Bohemian Forest National Park Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Beer * National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst * Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...

(Šumava National Park). The Jezerní potok (''Seebach'') stream rises on the mountain. About 7 km northeast, in the Czech Republic, is the western end of the Lipno Reservoir.

Tripoint and extreme point

The Plöckenstein lies about 1.3 km east of the

tripoint A tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints as of 2020. Nearly half are situated in rivers, l ...

between

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and the

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. Th ...

.www.dreilaendereck-bayerischer-wald.com
/ref> The tripoint is roughly east of the Bavarian Plöckenstein (). The area of the tripoint is also called ''Dreiecksmark'' (''Trojmezí'', "tripoint") and links the two Plöckensteins over a

saddle The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not kno ...

(). West of the Plöckenstein is Austria's northernmost point. Dreilaendereck-DAT

Plöckenstein (Plechý) - pohled na vrchol

Sights

During the Cold War the border area of the Bohemian Forest was inaccessible to citizens of the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...

because the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...

ran through it. The new government under

Marián Čalfa Marián Čalfa (born 7 May 1946, in Trebišov) is a Slovak former politician, who served as prime minister of Czechoslovakia during and after the Velvet Revolution in 1989, as well as de facto acting President for 19 days. He was a key figure ...

, which came to power on 10 December 1989, dismantled the border fortifications in December 1989 (see also the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...

). Among the sights and attractions in the area of the Plöckenstein are the following (in alphabetical order): * Adalbert-Stifter Monument (; Czech Republic) – on a rocky crag above the Plöckensteinsee a 14.5-metre-high

obelisk An obelisk (; from grc, ὀβελίσκος ; diminutive of ''obelos'', " spit, nail, pointed pillar") is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape or pyramidion at the top. Originally constructed by An ...

in memory of Adalbert Stifter ("Poet of the Bohemian Forest") was built in 1876-1877. * Dreisesselberg (; Germany) – from the pillow-like, weathered granite rocks of this mountain there are views on clear days as far as the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, ...

. * Plöckensteinsee (; Czech Republic) – this roughly 7.48 hectare mountain lake lies below the Plöckenstein. * Schwarzenbergscher Schwemmkanal (Austria-Czech Republic) – this is an artificial canal that crosses the watershed between the Moldau and

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , ...

. * Lipno Reservoir (also ''Moldau Reservoir''; ; Czech Republic) – the reservoir is c. 48 km long, is 48.7 km² in area and has a capacity of 309.5 M. m³. * Steinernes Meer on the Bavarian Plöckenstein (; Germany) – rock landscape on the southern flank of the mountain * Teufelsschüssel (; Austria) – granite block formation roughly east of the border

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plockenstein One-thousanders of the Czech Republic Mountains of the Bavarian Forest Bohemian Forest Mountains and hills of the Czech Republic Mountains of Upper Austria One-thousanders of Austria