Geography:
The Czech landscape is quite varied. Our country´s natural borders are formed by mountain ranges. The highest mountains are the Giant Mountains (Krkonoše) with the highest peak, Sněžka, reaching the height of 1602 m. Among others there are e.g. the Krušné mountains, Jizerské m., Orlické m., Beskydy or Jeseníky.
- Jeseníky
– It’s the second largest mountain range, situated in the North Moravia.
– The highest peak Praděd.
– A television transmitter is built on the top of the mountain, the tower also served as viewing tower.
– Except the mountains we can visit moss lakes in natural reservation Rejvíz.
– There we can also find Powerful pumped storage plant Dlouhé stráně.
The Czech Republic has many navigable rivers, such as the Elbe, Morava and Oder. They flow into three different seas: the North Sea, Baltic Sea and Black Sea. The largest tributary to the Elbe is the Vltava.
South Bohemia is known for its ponds. Freshwater fish are farmed there, especially carp. The largest pond is called Rožmberk.
The lowlands are important for agriculture and farming. The most extensive Czech lowland is Polabská nížina.
We have 4 national parks: Krkonoše, Podyjí, Šumava and Bohemian Switzerland.
- a) National park Šumava
– This national park is situated in South Bohemia region.
– Its area of mountain range called Šumava with the highest peak Plechý.
– There we can find some glacial lakes – Černé, Čertovo and Laka.
– Boubín forest.
- b) Podyjí National Park
– It’s a national park in the South Moravian Region.
- c) National park Krkonoše
– It’s a national park in the Liberec and Hradec Králové regions.
– It lies in the Krkonoše Mountains which is the highest range of the country.
– Krkonoše’s highest mountain is Snow Mountain (Sněžka – 1602 m) which is also the highest mountain in the Czech republic.
– It’s also popular ski areal.
- d) Bohemian Switzerland
– Also known as Czech Switzerland.
Moravian Karst
- It is located in a naturally protected region of the Czech Republic, just north of Brno.
- There we can find stalactite caves.
- The area includes the greatest abyss, called Macocha which is 138 m deep and Punkva river
South Bohemia = pond district
- It is known as pond district.
- More than seven thousand ponds were established across the region.
- Rožmberk – the largest one, Bezdrev, Horusice.
Tourism:
The historic city of Prague is the primary tourist attraction. Our spas are also very popular. Among the most famous are Karlovy Vary, Františkovy lázně and Mariánské lázně.
Other tourist sites are our castles and chateaux, such as Karlštejn, Konopiště or Český Krumlov.
You can also visit sandy rocks in Český ráj or stalactite caves in Moravský kras (Moravian Karst) – its greatest abyss, called Macocha, is 138 m deep.
Vítkovice Site – Hlubina colliery, coking plant and blast furnaces – this site has been declared an Industrial Heritage Site, it is a unique example of industrial architecture from the first half of the 19th century. It was founded by archduke Rudolf and was the first one of its kind in the entire Austro-Hungarian empire.
Příbor – the birthplace of Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis
Štramberk – with its Trúba Spire on a hill above the town
Hukvaldy – the birthplace of Leoš Janáček, a famous composer. You can also visit the Hukvaldy Castle.
Hradčany = The Castle District
The Cathedral of St. Vitus is the biggest church in Prague and the Czech coronation jewels are held here. Wenceslas Chapel was built to protect the relics of the most important Czech saint and national patron – St. Wenceslas.
Another well-known place in the Castle District is the Loreta. The most fascinating part is its Treasure Chamber with a diamond monstrance.
Vyšehrad
Vyšehrad Castle is situated on a rock overlooking the Vltava River. The legend says that Czech Princess Libuše prophesied the glory of Prague from here. It is the burial place, Writer Karel Čapek, sculptor J. V. Myslbek, composers A. Dvořák and B. Smetana, poet J. Neruda and artist M. Aleš are all buried here.