Pancava Waterfall

The Pancava rises on the Labska louka bog and runs a short distance across the Krkonose plateau before the ground gives way: the stream reaches the edge of the Labsky dul, a glacial cirque cut into the plateau flank, and falls about a hundred and forty-eight metres in several stages, the first drop around twenty metres and the rest cascading down the rock steps below. It is the highest waterfall in the Czech Republic. There is a viewing platform on the lip, reached from the ridge path, giving a view straight down the cirque with the Labe valley beyond, and the fall can also be seen from the valley floor far below. Flow depends entirely on the weather - snowmelt in May and June and after heavy rain it is substantial, and in a dry August it can be thin. The bogs above it are strict reserve and the paths are the only access.

History

The Pančava has drawn visitors since the early days of tourism. In 1859 Josef Schier, owner of the nearby Labská bouda mountain hut, built a small reservoir with a sluice gate above the upper edge of the waterfall, and when enough paying tourists had gathered the gate was opened, suddenly swelling the fall. Refreshment booths and an upper viewing terrace were built above and below it, and in the 1930s the reservoir, booths and terrace were closed (Wikipedia, Pančava Waterfall).

Highlights

• A 148-metre drop - the tallest waterfall in the country, falling in stages.
• A glacial cirque - the Labsky dul cut into the plateau flank below it.
• A viewing platform on the lip - looking straight down from the ridge path.
• Peat bogs above - the plateau the stream crosses before the edge.

When to go

June to September; May and June for flow. A day.

Things to know

Flow is highly variable and can be thin in dry weather. Access is on foot only, several hours from a road, on an exposed ridge. Strict reserve rules apply. Winter access is for equipped walkers only.

Nearby

The Elbe spring is on the same plateau; Spindleruv Mlyn is below.

Key facts