The most beautiful places of Bohemian Karst
The best of the Bohemian Karst
To the southwest of the capital city of Prague is located, near the river Berounka, picturesque area of limestone and dolomites – Bohemian Karst. You will find here the largest Czech cave and probably the most famous quarry in the country – Velká Amerika. There is also a massive royal castle Karlstejn. However, there are much more interesting places.
Karlštejn Castle
The most important Czech castle
Karlštejn Castle located in the heart of picturesque Czech Karst is considered to be the most important Czech castle. Because it is just a short distance from the capital city of Prague, a great number of tourists come here every year. It was built by the Roman Emperor and Czech King – Charles IV as a repository for Christian relics and imperial crown jewels. The most interesting part of the castle is beautifully decorated Chapel of the Holy Cross. The castle is really impressive continue reading
Quarry Velká Amerika
Beautiful quarry in Bohemia
Quarry Velká Amerika („Great America“) attracts still more and more tourists because of its beautiful blue lake on its bottom. Most people are satisfied with the view from the outlook points on the edge of the 80 meter deep quarry. The adventurous ones, dare to climb down and take a bath in the lake although it is prohibited. Except for Velká Amerika, you will find here a wide range of other but smaller quaries such as Mexico, Canada and Malá Amerika („Little America“). continue reading
Koněprusy Caves
The longest cave system in Bohemia
Koněprusy Caves are located in the PLA Český kras south of the district town of Beroun. They are a protected cultural monument of the Czech Republic. It is the longest cave system in Bohemia and is situated in three elevation floors in Devonian limestones. continue reading
Svatojánská rock wall
The best viewpoint of the Czech Karst
In the picturesque village of sv. Jan pod Skalou is not just a Benedictine monastery. A great attraction is the mighty Svatojánská rock wall rising over 200 meters above the surrounding terrain. It is probably the best view of the entire Czech Karst. continue reading
River Berounka
River of Křivoklátsko and the Czech Kars
Berounka River belongs among the most important rivers of the Czech Republic (with its 140 km is the 11th longest). It rises on the border of Šumava mountains and Český les („the Bohemian Forest“) (part of its basin is also in the neighboring Bavaria). Its most beautiful passages are in the protected area of Křivoklátsko and in the Czech Karst just below Prague. In its vicinity are well-known Czech castles like Karlštejn and Křivoklát. continue reading
Quarry Malá Amerika
Small but nice quarry
Quarry Malá Amerika („Little America“) is somewhat in the shadow of its bigger brother Velká Amerika, but it is still worth seeing, especially because the footpath from Karlstejn leads right next to it. The edges of the quarry, however, is very overgrown and as such there is quite a problem to find a nice outlook place of the lake, which lies at the bottom of the quarry. continue reading
Quarry Mexiko
The deepest quarry
Quarry Mexico is situated next to the most famous quarry in Czech Karst – Velká Amerika („Great America“). It is interesting mainly because it is very deep – about 80 meters and therefore you may feel like you are looking into a deep abyss. continue reading
Alkazar Quarry
Mysterious place near Berounka
Alkazar Quarry is nowadays a favorite place for climbers. Own rock towering directly above Berounka looks from afar like Emmental, how many there are corridors and caves. Part of this site is also concreted thanks to a radioactive material dump. continue reading
Damil
View of Tetin
Damil (396 meters above sea level) is a hill with a nice view of the village of Tetin. At its foot you will also find the remains of a quarry. The ascent to it is part of the Tetín Viewpoint educational trail continue reading
Tetínské skály
Rocky view of Berounka
At the northern end of the village Tetín, directly above the river Berounka, you will find a rock wall – the Tetín Rocks. Outside the rocks there are caves in the rock massif. It is a very nice view of the landscape of the Bohemian Karst continue reading
Velkolom Devil's Stairs
An impressive hole in the ground
The limestone quarry is indeed an impressive hole, one of the largest in Europe. It was established gradually over the decades, people intensively experienced the landscape since the 1990s due to the need for limestone. The Devil's Stairs, as a grand quarry, was created, technically speaking, only by the gradual connection of smaller quarries in the second half of the 20th century. And it is an irony of fate that the beautiful Koněprusy caves were discovered for our age in 1950 thanks to wall blasting. continue reading
Golden horse
A hill with famous guts
The Golden Horse (475 m) is, at first glance, a rather inconspicuous hill in the middle of the Bohemian Karst, which would not have been here today if the Koněprusy Caves had not been discovered in its bowels in 1950. Yes, the miners would probably have mined it in the 1950s. It is made of high-quality Devonian limestone, which is also ideal for beauty. Today, the hill is cut off from two sides by the mining of the Čertovy schody quarry, which can be seen from its top like in the palm of its hand. continue reading
Nature reserve Kobyla
An extensive rock amphitheater in the Bohemian Karst, a paradise for rock climbers and hik
In the immediate vicinity of the popular Koněprusy Caves is the Kobyla nature reserve with an area of 68 ha. The northern part of the area includes the abandoned Kobyla quarry, where mining was stopped as early as 1929. Since then, the walls of the quarry have been almost completely overgrown with dense vegetation, creating a stunning rock amphitheater that creates a natural impression. In the southeast, the reservation includes the wooded slopes of the Kobyla hill. The easiest access is by car, which can be easily parked in the spacious parking lot at the Koněprusy Caves and set off about 700 meters to the east. continue reading
Axamit's gate
The largest rock gate in the Bohemian Karst
Axamit's Gate (also Aksamit's) is named after the doctor and archaeologist Jan Axamit, who researched in the Czech Karst. It is a beautiful rock formation inconspicuously hidden on the edge of the forest on the edge of the Kotýz hill. The collapse of the ceiling of the former cave created a very interesting rock amphitheater, the mouth of which is bridged by the rock arch of the Axamit Gate. Behind the rock arch is a chimney-shaped abyss – the cave Ve vratech – on the edge of which it is very difficult to walk. In addition, the whole area is an important archaeological site, although today it may no longer look like that. continue reading
Houbův lom
Surprise during the shooting
On the southern slope of the Golden Horse is an old pit quarry, in which limestone is no longer mined today, but an educational trail leads here. Remains of fossilized animals more than 400 million years old can be found in the rubble of white limestone. And it was precisely in the Houb Quarry, where in 1950, during a wall blasting on the quarry, a hole sneered, behind which a complex cave system was discovered during a subsequent survey. This is how the Koněprusy Caves were born … continue reading
Jelínek Bridge
Inconspicuous rock gorge
It is one of two easily accessible rock formations on the Kotýz limestone hill. The bridge, which is not even properly visible on the steppe surface of Kotýz, spans a vertical gap in the rock massif. Care must be taken under the feet to avoid falling into an inconspicuous slit. However, it is possible to descend into the crack in a controlled way and enjoy its rocky bridge overhead – Jelínek's bridge. continue reading
