The Adršpach-Teplice Rocks

In the northeast of Bohemia the sandstone plateau has weathered into a rock town, a dense maze of pale towers, pinnacles and walls rising up to a hundred metres, separated by clefts so narrow that the marked path squeezes between them in single file, with cold air, moss and ferns at the bottom where the sun rarely reaches. Two connected areas, Adršpach and Teplice, are threaded by a circuit of paths, ladders and boardwalks that passes named formations, a waterfall released on a schedule, and a small green lake in a flooded quarry that has become the region's most photographed spot. The rocks have drawn climbers for over a century and walkers for longer. It is one of the most unusual landscapes in Central Europe, and popular enough that in summer entry is by booked time slot.

History

At the end of the 13th century two castles, Střmen and Adersbach, were built among the rocks, and later the castle now ruined as Bischofstein. For a long time local people went into the rock town only when they were in danger and needed to hide. The first nature lovers came from Silesia around 1700, and it has been open to visitors ever since: Goethe came in 1790, a forest fire in 1824 burned for weeks and destroyed the whole surrounding forest, and the first paths were laid out early in the 19th century, when the rock formations received their fanciful names - the Spanish Wall, Grandfather's Chair, the Lovers, Rübezahl's Organ. The rocks have been a national nature reserve since 1933 and part of the Broumovsko protected landscape area since 1991, covering 17.12 square kilometres, and they are one of Europe's largest permanent breeding grounds of the peregrine falcon (Wikipedia, Adršpach-Teplice Rocks).

The landscape

• The rock labyrinth - the sandstone towers and the narrow clefts the path threads through.
• The green lake - the flooded quarry pool below the cliffs.
• The waterfall - released on a set schedule through the gorge.
• The Teplice circuit - the quieter second rock town linked to Adršpach.

When to go

May to October is the walking season; the gorges hold cold air and can be chilly even in summer, which is a relief in a heatwave. Autumn colour among the towers is superb. Winter freezes the gorges into ice formations but closes much of the route. Book a time slot in advance for summer weekends.

Before you go

It has become very popular, and on a summer weekend the narrow sections queue nose-to-tail, which rather spoils the labyrinth feeling; a weekday or an early start makes an enormous difference. Entry is ticketed with timed slots in season. The paths involve steps, ladders and damp rock and are often slippery, and the deep clefts stay cold and wet. Parts of the circuit close after heavy rain or ice.

Nearby

The Krkonoše mountains lie west; the Polish border and Wambierzyce are close to the north.

Key facts