50 years since Labské pískovce was declared protected landscape
A popular tourist destination, Labské pískovce is known for its canyons, deep gorges and rocky towns.
Labské pískovce were designated as a protected landscape area in June 1972. Later, a part of the area would be declared a national park, which is known as Bohemian Switzerland (České Švýcarsko).
Artists have been bewildered by the beauty of the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin, which stretches across the northern part of Bohemia and partially also across Germany and Poland, for centuries. Scientists were also fond of the area which was a target of research due to its layers of marine sediments that were formed after the retreat of the Cretaceous sea.
The area offers views of a number of unique natural phenomena, one of which is the deeply cut canyon of the river Elbe between Děčín and Hřensko. There are also deep forests which house various types of wild animals, including chamois. Another unique locality is Pod lesem u Jílového at the southern foot of Holý vrch, which has twenty hectares of species-diverse meadows ranging from orchids to rare species of butterflies.
