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TOURISM Thanks to its location at the crossroads of various cultures in the heart of Europe, the Czech Republic has countless cultural and historical points of interest. The Czech Republic is a country of great historical and cultural importance, a country where historic monuments and entire
TOURISM
Thanks to its location at the crossroads of various cultures in the heart of Europe, the Czech Republic has countless cultural and historical points of interest. The Czech Republic is a country of great historical and cultural importance, a country where historic monuments and entire towns have been included on the World Heritage List. Of course, when discussing tourism in Czech Republic, one can not overlook the overhelmingly popular tourist destination of Prague. The city is generaly considered to be one of the most beautiful world capitals with an exquitely preserved historical center. Many other towns and historic monuments in the Czech Republic are well-preserved and are noted in the UNESCO register as world cultural landmarks. Some of the towns are also known as glowing assets of the Czech Republic due to the existence of curative mineral spring spas there. Spas like Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad) and Marianske Lazne (Marienbad) acquired their international eminence many years ago. Jachymov, another town in the countryside, is well known for its rare radioactive springs. Terezin is also often explored by tourists. Terezin was a fort town from the end of the 18th century which, during the war, was transformed into a Jewish ghetto by the Nazis.
Prague
In 1992 the historical centre of Prague covering an area of
866 hectares was listed in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural
Heritage Register. Prague has always played an important role in
the history of the nation, the country and the whole of Europe. She
has cherished the reputation of one of the most beautiful cities in
the world and has been paid tribute by outstanding
personalities.
Selected Distances:
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- Berlin
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282 km
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- Moscow
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1,665 km
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THE UNESCO REGISTER OF THE WORLD HERITAGE
MONUMENTS
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed the following
properties on the World Heritage List.
1992
Historic Centre of Prague
1992
Historic Centre of Cesky Krumlov
1992
Historic Centre of Telc
1994
Pilgrimage Church of St. John of Nepomuk at Zelena
Hora
1995
Kutná Hora: Historical Town Centre with the Church of Saint
Barbara and the Cathedral of our Lady at Sedlec
1996
Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape
1998
Holašovice Historical Village Reservation
1998
Gardens and Castle at Kromeríz
1999
Litomyšl Castle
2000
Olomouc - the Column of the Holy Trinity
PRINCIPAL MOUNTAIN RANGES
Krkonoše (Giant Mountains)
The Krkonoše range stretches 40km into Bohemian territory,
creating a natural border between the Czech Republic and Poland,
and is the Czech Republic´s highest mountain range. The highest
peak is Mt. Snezka (1,602 m). Several other peaks exceed 1,500 m.
In order to preserve both wildlife and the environment, the
Krkonoše was proclaimed a national park in 1963
Hrubý Jeseník (Ash Mountains)
The Hrubý Jeseník is the second highest mountain range in the
Czech Republic, and its highest point is Praded Peak (1,491 m).
Located in northern Moravia, this range is similar in character to
the Krkonoše and has been a protected region since 1969.
Šumava (Bohemian Forest)
The third highest mountain range in the Czech Republic, the
Šumava´s highest point is Plechý Peak (1,373 m). The Šumava extends
125 km into south-western Bohemia from the border and creates a
natural boundary with Germany. Five limestone lakes found here are
of glacial origin. The Black Lake is the largest (18.61 hectares).
The Šumava has been a protected region since 1962 and was declared
a national park in 1991. This region is also protected on the
German side where it becomes The Bavarian Forest National Park.
The Morava-Silesian Beskydy Mountains are situated in the eastern part of the Czech Republic in northern Moravia. The area shares borders with Poland to the north and with the Slovak Republic to the east. The Beskydy Mountains are part of a frontier mountain range that runs from north to south, with the highest points over 1000 m above sea level. Its landscape of long, rolling hillsides is covered with forests and pastures. The terrain is ideal for hiking, cross-country skiing and mountain biking.
LAKES AND RIVERS
The Czech Republic is called the roof of Europe since its only
source of water is atmospheric rain and snowfall. All the rivers
which have their source in the area drain into neighboring
countries.
The Czech Republic has three river basins:
The Labe (Elbe) River Basin (drains into the North Sea) -
51,399 sq.km. Main rivers: Labe, Vltava
The Odra (Oder) River Basin (drains into the Baltic) - 4,721
sq.km. Main rivers: Odra, Opava, Ostravice and Olše
The Dunaj (Danube) River Basin (drains into the Black Sea) -
22,744 sq. km. Main rivers: Morava, Dyje
The river basins intersect at Kralický Sni3ník on the Polish
border.
Lakes and ponds
There are 455 natural lakes in the Czech Republic, 350 of
which are river lakes that have formed in the grasslands of larger
rivers. A characteristic feature of the Czech landscape is the
large number of artificial lakes created for fish-farming. They
number 21,800 in total and cover about 41,000 hectares. The largest
of them are Lake Rozmberk and Lake Bezdrev in southern Bohemia.
The abundance and quality of mineral springs in the Czech Republic makes the country a world leader in this area. Many large and renowned spas have been founded around natural or drilled mineral water springs, including the spa in Karlovy Vary, as well as in Mariánské Lázne, Františkovy Lázne, Podebrady, Luhacovice, Jáchymov, and many others which are smaller but still therapeutically important. The warmest Czech springs include the famous Thermal Spring in Karlovy Vary (72oC), and springs in Teplice (42oC) and Janské Lázni (29.6oC). The waters from former uranium mines in Jáchymov have the highest radioactivity in the world (5,085 Mach units, .08 oz.Rn/gal.)
Karlovy Vary are the best known and biggest spa in the Czech
Republic. It is world famous for its hot mineral springs and
mineral salts. The place has very long history and today it is
presumably the second most visited town in the Czech Republic after
Prague.The healing sources are rare hydrocarbonate-sulfur-chloride
and hydrocarbonate-sodium-calcium thermal mineral waters.World
famous liqueur Becherovka is also produced in Karlovy Vary.
Marianske Lazne
The second most important spa in the Czech Republic about which a written record is already from the year 1528 are situated in West Bohemia near town Cheb. Many famous writers, composers, poets and phylosofers spend their time in this picturesque town and enjoyed the forrests and hills around.
Luhacovice is the biggest spa in Moravia with the tradition of more than 300 years of spa treatment, based on the curative power of the natural mineral springs.Thanks to the long-standing tradition of the spa treatment, mineral springs, favorable climate conditions and a beautiful natural surrounding.