FEBRUARY 2023
“Pravcicka Brana” is one of the icons of the nature park Bohemian Switzerland in the Czech Republic. On the front of brochures on this region you will find pictures of this famous arch. I highly recommend visiting this beautiful spot. The colorful restaurant that is located at the opening of the gate makes the view even more spectacular and with a little bit of imagination it will make you feel like you are visiting Bhutan 😉
How to get there & practical information
In summertime you have several ways to access Pravcicka Brana, but in winter time only the hiking path from Hrensko is open. We parked our car in the “Waterfall parking lot” in Hrensko, this is the closest you can park to the arch. The hiking path is only open from friday-sunday during the off-season, so make sure to arrive on the right day. It is also open during the Christmas break. In the off-season you do not have to pay for parking. The total hike from Hrensko to the Pravcicka Brana is about 4 kilometers. The hike starts off slowly, on a walking path next to the main road, after about 1,5 kms you switch into a forest path taking you up to the arch. The incline is a slow burner, so you will definitely feel like you have exercised once you arrive to the top. It took us about 1 hour to reach Pravcicka Brana. Pravcicka Brana is open from 10AM – 4PM in winter. We arrived at 10.15AM and were the first ones to arrive 🙂 The colorful building in the rocks actually is a restaurant and art gallery, where you can have a small bite and drink. In summertime you have to pay a little entrance fee to access the area underneath the arch, but in winter this was not the case. One other spectactular sight near the arch is the Edmund gorge, but it was not accesible in winter time.
Bushfires summer 2022
In the forests near Pravcicka Brana there have been heavy bushfires in the summer of 2022. For over a week bushfires were raging around Bohemian Switzerland, taking out the village Mezna and being an ecological disaster. In Prague you could smell the fires and they even crossed the borders into Germany. The bushfires started when humans lit off fireworks, while it was very dry. Luckily, the Pravcicka Brana arch survived, but you can still see the remains of the bushfires. During some parts of our hike we got very silent, because it looked like there had been a war, all the trees were destroyed and black. The Czech government is trying to make the best of the situation and the area will be replanted with a more diverse forest, which in the end should create a more favorable environment for the wildlife. Overall, I though I had to warn you about this situation, because we were quite shocked during our hike.
The hike
Despite the parts ruined by the bushfires we still enjoyed our hike. It gets steeper along the way, so you will definitely be a little sweaty once you arrive to the top. The Pravcicka Brana is one of the largest natural sandstone arches in Europe and definitely a spectacular sight. The restaurant on top sells cakes and drinks, which you can even enjoy on the terrace right underneath the arch. The benefit of visiting the Pravcicka Brana during wintertime definitely is the amount of rest you will find. I can imagine this being a very popular hike in summertime, with a packed arch as a result.
Hrensko
Hrensko is one of the most charming towns in Bohemian Switzerland, you will find colorful houses built into dramatic rocks. It is only a small town, but there are several options for lodging. It is an excellent location for exploring the nature surrounding Hrensko, just beware that it is very touristy and that there is even a tourist market. If you want to see a spooky house I recommend to walk by Stara Plynara, you can even stay there.
