Hřensko (in German Herrnskretschen) is a picturesque municipality in the Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region and the main gateway to the Bohemian Switzerland National Park. This small village at the confluence of the Elbe and Kamenice rivers lives and breathes tourism, welcoming visitors from all over the world.
With an elevation of just 115 metres above sea level, it is the lowest-lying municipality in the Czech Republic and home to 291 inhabitants. Despite its modest size, it offers an extraordinary landscape dominated by the dramatic Elbe canyon. From here, an equally enchanting valley opens up between towering rock formations, winding along the Kamenice River.
A large part of the municipality stretches through this narrow valley, framed on both sides by steep rock walls. The cool air trapped between the cliffs creates a unique microclimate where mountain plants thrive, an exceptional phenomenon given the low elevation of Hřensko.
Hřensko also serves as an important cross-border point: the Hřensko–Schmilka road border crossing connects the Czech Republic with the Federal Republic of Germany, making it an ideal starting point for exploring both sides of this remarkable region.
5 km
Edmund Gorge
Edmund Gorge is one of the most famous natural attractions in Bohemian Switzerland, known for its dramatic sandstone cliffs, rock tunnels and romantic boat rides through the gorge. Since its reconstruction in the mid-1960s, Edmund Gorge was called the Silent Gorge, and in the 1950s and early 1960s it was known as the Ďuriš Gorge (after the Minister of Forestry and Agriculture from the 1950s). From approximately the beginning of the 21st century, it has once again borne its original historical name after its founder.
Originally the gorge was completely inaccessible. At the end of the 19th century, on the initiative of Prince Edmund Clary-Aldringen and the Mountain Association for Bohemian Switzerland, construction of a tourist trail was begun. The route leads through tunnels carved into the rocks, over wooden footbridges and across a weir that made it possible to navigate the previously impassable section of the river, turning Edmund Gorge into a popular hiking and nature destination.
19 km
Königstein Fortress
Königstein Fortress, one of the largest and most impressive mountain fortresses in Europe, rises high above the Elbe Valley in the heart of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. The historic stronghold crowns the table mountain Königstein above the town of Königstein on the left bank of the Elbe in the district of Saxon Switzerland–Eastern Ore Mountains, a popular region for hiking and cultural tourism.
On the plateau, which lies around 240 metres above the Elbe River, visitors will find a 9.5-hectare open-air military history museum that has been open since 1955. The mighty fortress walls, built from local sandstone, stretch for about 1,800 metres and reach heights of up to 42 metres, offering panoramic views over Saxon Switzerland. At the centre of the fortifications is a 152.5-metre-deep well – the deepest well in Saxony and the second deepest castle well in Europe.
19 km
Bastei
Bastei (305 m a.s.l.) is a famous rock formation with panoramic viewing platforms in Saxon Switzerland, located on the right bank of the Elbe between the spa town of Rathen and the town of Stadt Wehlen. It ranks among the most visited tourist attractions in Saxon Switzerland and the entire Elbe Sandstone Mountains region.
From the narrow rock cliff, rising 194 m above the surface of the Elbe, there are far‑reaching views of the Elbe valley, the surrounding sandstone rocks and the picturesque landscape of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. On the plateau behind the rock formation there is a hotel with a restaurant
6 km
Pravčická Gate
The national natural monument Pravčická Gate (in German Prebischtor) is an impressive natural rock arch carved over millions of years in block sandstones of Cretaceous age. It lies in the heart of the Bohemian Switzerland National Park (since 9 April 2002 in the first zone of the Bohemian Switzerland National Park), about 3 km northeast of the village of Hřensko in the Děčín district. With a span of 26.5 metres and a height of 16 metres, it is the largest sandstone rock arch in Europe and a true natural landmark of Bohemian Switzerland. This iconic rock formation ranks among the most visited tourist sites in the region and has become a defining symbol of the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, under whose administration it falls. The protected area includes not only the sandstone arch itself, but also the surrounding rock massifs and a partly built-up area with the romantic Falcon’s Nest chateau. In addition to the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, Pravčická Gate is also part of the Elbe Sandstones Bird Area, which underlines its exceptional natural, geological and landscape value as one of the most important attractions of Czech sandstone scenery.