Bohemian Switzerland

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České Švýcarsko National Park
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Location	Czech Republic
Area	79 km²
Established	2000
Governing body	Správa Ochrany Přírody

Bohemian Switzerland in the spring

Bohemian Switzerland (German: Böhmische Schweiz), also known as Czech Switzerland (Czech: České Švýcarsko) is a picturesque region in the north-western Czech Republic. It lies on the Czech side of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains north of Děčín on both sides of the Elbe River. It extends eastward into the Lusatian Mountains and westward into the Ore Mountains. Its highest elevation is the mountain Děčínský Sněžník at 726m above sea level. It has been a protected area (as ChKO Labske Piskovce) since 1972.

The region along the right side of the Elbe became a national park on January 1, 2000, the České Švýcarsko National Park. The National Park is not far away from the Saxon Switzerland National Park (Sächsische Schweiz) in Germany.

[edit] Etymology

Pravčická brána in Bohemian Switzerland.

The concept of Bohemian Switzerland developed in the 18th century as an extension of the Saxon Switzerland, the part of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains in Germany. The name was inspired by the Swiss artists Adrian Zingg and Anton Graff, who were reminded of their homeland by the geography of northern Bohemia.