THE FOUR STONES OF A BEAUTIFUL GATE
The gateway to Bohemia, as we are used to calling the Ústí nad Labem Region, consists of four massive and attractive stones, four regions that are worth exploring in detail to uncover their unimaginable beauty. For the sixth time now the Gateway site is setting off to unlock the secrets and charm of individual locations. Only let‘s take a slightly different view this time. Let‘s rise high above the landscape and take a look at this varied and rugged corner of the Czech Republic from above. In other words, let‘s say what makes each of the four “stones” shine out at a distance.
Bohemian Switzerland
A breathtaking land of cliffs, ravines, canyons, but also mountain meadows, incredible views, fairy tale cottages, cross-roads, streams and rivers. Let‘s start with the most precious jewel, one of the wonders of the world, Pravčická brána. It‘s as if we are able to enter a realm framed by the Elbe sandstones, which were hewn by one of the most beautiful river canyons in Europe, the Elbe valley, on the one hand, and the undulating first peaks of the Lusatian Mountains on the other. Far below the majestic rock gate, the Wild Kamenice River careers around Dolský Mill between the sheer rock walls to later calm down and let the awe-struck pilgrims ride through the Wild and Edmund‘s gorges. Just a little further the stone dragon‘s back is crowned by the three Jetřichovice Viewpoints, from where it is dangerously addictive to look out over a landscape of rocks. The glory of folk architecture, the unique beaded Upper Lusatianhouses generously spread throughout the area, can be found in an extraordinary concentration at Kamenická Stráňor at Kamenná Horka in Krásná Lípa. The beauty of sacral andprofane architecture is probably best seen in the historical Czech Kamenice or in Rumburk, whose Loreta is a glory that shines out over others. Fourteen stations of the cross complement the ubiquitous small-scale sacral monuments - not to see the Bratský Altar at Česká Kamenice or the Bauer Chapel near Lipnice means to impoverish yourself greatly. You will be flabbergasted by the castles - in Děčín, Benešov nad Ploučnicí (there are several), in Šluknov or in Lipová On the left bank of the Labe is the fantastic rocky outcrop of Tiské stěny and the stone observation tower on Děčínský Sněžník. If we add to that the rock formations, Gabriel‘s Trail, observation towers, the idyllic Křinické Valley near Kyjov, we can be sure that we are still just at the beginning of the list of local beauties.
The Czech Central Mountains
A landscape, riven by the Elbe, which is overlooked on all sides by such bizarre hills, with shapes so unlikely and hard to believe, that even a poet‘s fantasy falls short. The land is full of cruel volcanic power and calmed down by the lives of people, the region of the first Slavs, a region of legends and the most famous Czech myths with the mountain Říp, which grows directly from the Czech soul. A labyrinth of cones, pyramids, loaves and solitary colossi. The realm of Queen Milešovka and King Házmburk. Among their subjects are hills so strange and weird that its hard to believe - the Ice Mountain Plešivec, where you will find ice even in the heat of June and its brother Boreč, a fiery mountain, which, even in the shivering frosts, pampers the green grass and moss and by blowing heat on them from its bowels, and the errant stone sun in the meadows near Třebívlice. The country is rich in Czech garnets that explode with their dark crimson shine. Man has built proud houses here - the Baroque Libochovice, the Renaissance Budyně with its alchemical past, the Rococo Ploskovice, and proud towns - medieval Úštěk with its Bird Houses reaching for the skies, chapels and the Calvary at Ostrý and the stone nave in the forest, the mighty ruins of Helfenburk Castle, the noble Roudnice serried around the Lobkovice castle monument, the gloomy Terezín, a silent witness to the peak of human intolerance, the picturesque Litoměřice crowned by the noble Dómský Knoll and the tower of St. Stephen‘s Cathedral and the still unrecognized Usti nad Labem, of which few know of its waterfalls and heartbreakingly beautiful surroundings. A region of wine, which, although far to the north, gives delicious juice and the wines from it are famous and appreciated, then there are the Bohemian Ports, the spectacular wide meanders in the Elbe, or the mysterious plateau around Verneřice in the shadow of the Buková Mountain.
The Lower Ohře
An idyllic, undulating landscape around the life-giving Ohře, which, like a mythical snake, crawls through a wide basin from one royal city to another, forested hills crowned with the ruins of proud castles, vast expanses and modest fields dappled in sun light and caressed by the wind, the choppy surface of the immense Nechranické Reservoir. The region is crammed with the traces of ancient merchants and the battles of the legendary Lucians. A country of mysterious menhirs. Entrust yourself to the Ohře, it will best take you through its kingdom. Klášterec nad Ohří welcomes you with a neo-Gothic romantic chateau filled with precious porcelain, so that Kadaň, a medieval town with the narrowest
lane in the country, will entertain you with its walls and parks and the playful Maxipes Fik embankment. The Ohře will then take you to the historic Žatec with the largest hop museum in the world, the unique Temple of Hops and Beer, where you can hear the astronomical beer clock chime the hours and ride in a magical elevator that turns into a balloon basket flying high above the city. But Louny already has you in its sights, a lunar pearl on the Ohře with the fascinating roofs of the Gothic St. Nicholas‘ Cathedral and the huge Žatec Gate, which closes the horseshoe of the city walls. And if you set out from the river corridor in any direction whatsoever, you will find wonderful things - the largest castle park in our country surrounds the Krásný Dvůr Chateau, a dreadful dragon sleeping in Březno in the mine seam, the dazzling chateaus at Stekník, Líčkov or Nový Hrad and to cap it all the mysterious and magical energy
of the unfinished Gothic temple in Panenský Týnec. Moreover, most of this beauty is connected to the Ohře cycle trail, which is a great ride.
The Ore Mountains
Quiet and deep, facing one another, grim since time immemorial, with chilly clear views even in misty haze, always dignified and majestic. Gorgeous mountains that are especially captivating with their raw beauty. A long, forested ridge from which the wooded, rocky slopes descend, breathtaking mountain meadows, plains and wetlands. They are filled with unexpected surprises, hidden gems, they have their secrets that are beautiful to reveal. And beneath all that the energy of the earth, ancient mines of precious minerals, mining galleries - paths into the earth‘s interior and gurgling springs of healing waters. However, in the winter, when the hills take off their colourful coat and wrap up in a festive white robe, the Ore Mountains come into their own. On the ridges you can find the Ore Mountain Highway - in summer for bikes, in winter for cross-country skiing, breathtaking heaths and peat bogs, a lake guarded by forests in Fláje, stone sphinxes near Měděnec, beneath the ground lead ancient mine workings, Komáří vížka with the longest Czech chair lift, the highest golf course on Cínovec, as well as observation towers, ruins of castles and in the winter the pulsating ski resorts of Klinovec, Klíny or Telnice. Amazing cities and towns are waiting for you below the mountains - the spa towns of Teplice, Dubí with the northernmost Venetian church in the world, the Medieval Krupka, Osek with its dignified monastery, Duchcovský Chateau, which remembers Casanova, Most, the city of dromes, the unique Alum Lake in Chomutov in close proximity to the largest zoo in the country. Here you will meet beautiful chateaus, such
as Červený Hrádek, the newly opened chateau in Litvínov or the ghostly Jezeří, which looms above the lunar landscape of open cast mines. You can even climb the devil‘s mountain as you set out off from Bíliny for the mystical Bořeň.
