The Sumava National park is the biggest single state - protected area in Czech Republic and in the Central Europe as well (69 030 ha). It is located along the border with Germany and Austria from the town of Zelezna Ruda to Zvonkova and Lipno dam. Its suburbs is called Sumava Protected Landscape Region (Chranena krajinna oblast or CHKO) and was established in 1963. It's neighbour from the Bavaria side is the National Park Bavorsky Les. Those three parts are called
"The green roof of Europe" and were added to UNESCO list as a biospheric reservation.
The largest wooded area in Europe after Scandinavia and Russia, often called the "Green Roof of Europe." It is located in the south of the Czech Republic and extends as a NP Bayerischer Wald over the border with Germany.
The only positive fact from the time of the
"Iron Curtain" is that nature was left untouched along areas that bordered the West, as they were forbidden zones. The area of the NP Sumava contains a diverse array of precious natural phenomena, such as glacial lakes, peat bogs, and the remains of primeval mountain forests. At the same time, the area is defined by the natural coexistence between man and the untouched nature reserve that has given it its charm and magic for many years. Sumava is one of
the oldest massifs in Europe. A major part of it was created by the moldanubic massif about 140 km long, wooded, with rounded terrain forms and a plateau. From Plane the mountain ridges split to the north west and south east. In the central part there are higher peaks and lower valleys with streams and rivers. We can still see the remains of the glacial activity on the mountains, in the form of stone seas, or glacial lakes, which are the only ones in the Czech Republic. Here is the largest store of water in
Central Europe. The major rivers in the area are the Vltava, and the streams Vydra and Kremelna , which create the river Otava at their confluence.
There are
eight glacial lakes at about 1000Â1100 m above sea level. On the Czech side they cover an area of 42 hectares, their names are Laka, Prasilske, Plesne, Cerne, and Certovo . The genuine extension of NP Sumava is Protected Landscape Area Sumava surrounding the national park. You can learn more about Sumava along 8 educational paths  Boubinsky prales (authentic old forest protected from 1858, where you can admire the genuine evolution of the forest with 300Â400 year old trees untouched by man), Stifteruv okruh (romantic circle by the memorial of the famous poet of Sumava  Adalbert Stifter), Medvedi stezka (Bear Path, along special stone shaped rocks), Schwarzenbersky plavebni kanal (channel for transport of logs to the river and further to Prague and Vienna), Chalupska slat (large peat lake with floating islands), Churanovsko (for pedestrians and cross country skiers), Povydri (along the river Vydra with shaped rocks), Trijezerni slat and Jezerni slat (peat bogs). There are three educational circles where you can learn about three different types of landscapes: national park, forest (from Borova Lada), non wooded landscape (from Kvilda).
Guide 
