Šumava National Park and Protected Landscape Area

The Šumava National Park is the largest national park in the Czech Republic, located in south-western Bohemia, on the border with Germany and Austria, to which the Šumava mountain range stretches as well. It lies in the municipalities Klatovy, Prachatice and Český Krumlov. It is a part of the Šumava Protected Landscape Area, measuring almost 170 hectares. The protected landscape area was established in 1975 and the national park in 1991. In 1990, Šumava was included on the UNESCO list of biosphere reserves. The area of the national park is sparsely populated, with only nine municipalities. The national park itself is divided into three zones of protection; the first zone is left to its natural development.

The landscape of Šumava is mostly mountainous and covered with forests. The highest summit in its Czech part is Plechý, at 1,379 metres above sea level. The most important biotopes are preserved primeval forests and pine groves, as well as water ecosystems, especially peat bogs and tarns.

The Šumava area was inhabited by man as early as prehistory. There are remains of several fortified settlements from the Hallstatt period there, e.g. Obří hrad near Nicov. Castle Kašperk was built there in the Middle Ages.

There is a rich diversity of animal and plant species there. Several are relicts and endemic to the Czech Republic. The endemic species include the plants Gentianella praecox bohemica, Dactylorhiza majalis turfosa, Phyteuma nigrum, as well as the water beetle Oreonebria castanea sumavica. There are also many species that are almost extinct in the rest on the Czech Republic, e.g. the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), the western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), the wild cat (Felis silvestris), etc.

Hiking has a long tradition in the Šumava area. Visitors have to respect the rules and apart from nature and rare species of fauna and flora they can also find the remains of evacuated municipalities and military shooting ranges from the socialist era, when the area was a part of the borderlands. There are several educational trails in Šumava.