Czech Republic Guide
East Bohemia
For variety of scenery East Bohemia (Východní Čechy) is hard to beat. Along the northern border with Poland, the peaks of the Krkonoše and the Orlické hory form an almost continuous mountain range, with excellent opportunities for hiking and skiing. The lower-lying Český ráj, to the south, and the area around Broumov to the east are wonderfully pastoral, and typically Bohemian, landscapes of rocky sandstone covered in thick forest. Further south still, the terrain on either side of the River Labe – the Polabí, as it is known – is flat, fertile and, for the most part, fairly dull. But the towns of the river basin do much to make up for it – Hradec Králové, the regional capital, and its historic rival, Pardubice, both boast handsomely preserved historic centres.
Highlights
1 Český ráj Great rambling countryside, dotted with ruined castles, sandstone protrusions, chateaux and folk architecture.
2 The Adršpach rocks A bizarre rock "city" that rises out of the woods to the east of the Krknoše mountains.
3 Nové Město nad Metují Picture-postcard square and a chateau whose interior includes work by early twentieth-century architects.
4 Hradec Králové A picturesque old town standing opposite an innovative new town, built between the wars by Rondo-Cubist architects.
5 Kuks Long-defunct spa with the finest array of Baroque statues outside Prague.
6 Pardubice As well as its old town and chateau, Pardubice boasts a Rondo-Cubist crematorium and the world's most challenging steeplechase course.
7 Litomyšl Attractive town with Renaissance chateau and the extraordinarily weird Portmonbeum, designed by Josef Váchal in the early twentieth century.
The Broumov walls
The Broumov walls (Broumovské stěny) make up a thin sandstone ridge that almost cuts Broumov off from the rest of the country. From the west, there's no indication of the approaching precipice, from which a wonderful vista sweeps out over to Broumov and beyond into Poland, but from the east, the ridge is clearly spread out before you. The best place to appreciate the view is from Dientzenhofer's chapel of Panna Maria Sněžná, in among the boulders at the edge of the big drop. The best rock formations are 9km south of here, close to the highest point of the wall, Božanovský Špičák (733m), only a few hundred metres from the Polish border. You can approach the Dientzenhofer chapel from either Police nad Metují, 5km to the southwest, or Broumov, 6km to the east. To get to the rocks around Božanovský Špičák, take the bus from Police to Machov, or the train from Broumov to Božanov, and walk the final 3.5km.