been proclaimed the Šumava Nature Reserve Area in 1963. The National Park was established in its most valuable part in 1991. It is the largest protected area in the Czech Republic these days. Through the Šumava ridge goes the main European watershed divide between the Black and North seas. The headstream of the best-known Czech river, the Vltava River, rises here as well. Thanks to its location, the region is being called the Green Roof of Europe or the Green Lungs of Europe. The highest peakof Šumava is Big Maple (“Velký Javor” in Czech and “Groß Ahorn” in German language) with an elevation of 4,777 ft ASL (1,456 m ASL), which is located on the German side of the border just a few miles away from the town of Železná Ruda. If you set out for a walk on the marked tourist paths, of which there are the hundreds of miles here, you will get the chance to see for yourselves the remains of primeval forests, the glacier lakes, the bogs, and even the extensive, mostly evergreenforests.
A large number of important cities with an abundance of historical sights and places of interest are located in the region. For our needs we will also expand their list by the cities located in the Novohradské Mountains. They are Kaplice, Prachatice, Vimperk, Sušice, Nýrsko, Kdyně, Klatovy, Domažlice, Horšovský Týn, Železná Ruda, Stříbro, Tachov, Volary, Vyšší Brod, Český Krumlov, and Holašovice Village Reserve.
Aside from these valuable locations,the Šumava offers a number of opportunities for a summer and winter recreation. You can visit the recreational centers and locations like the Špičák, Zadov, Churáňov, Antýgl, Srní, Modrava, or Lipno. Thanks to a large concentration of tourist places of interest, and thanks to a clean nature, the area is literally the tourist’s paradise. From the historical sights, we will mention for instance the Vimperk Manor House, Bezdružice Manor House, Rabí State-Owned Castle, Horšovský TýnState-Owned Castle and Manor House, Velhartice Castle, Švihov Water Castle, Kašperk Castle, Český Krumlov State-Owned Castle and Manor House, and Kratochvíle Summerhouse. There are also renowned sacral sights here like the “Zlatá Koruna Monastery” (Golden Crown Monastery), or the Chapel of Guardian Angel in Sušice. The area offers a number of beautiful places of faraway vistas. You can visit the lookout towers of Boubín, Svatobor, Poledník, or the Kurz Lookout Tower at Čerchov.There is a popular Revolving Auditorium in Český Krumlov. You can familiarize yourself with the region’s history and with the life of inhabitants in any of the many museums like the Zlaté stezky Mini-Museum in Vimperk, or the Šumava Museum in Sušice. The Schwarzenberk Navigable Canal for shipping lumber is an important technical monument. What is being mentioned here, those are just the fragments of a very rich offer. You will get more information here, but the best experience is waitingfor you only if you visit the place personally.
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