Welcome to the picturesque Šumava, a wonderful mountain area in the south-west Bohemian region (Czech republic). Šumava is a 130 kilometers long chain of mountains on the German and Austrian border. Its peaks are 900-1460 meters high. Šumava has been a magic area for many centuries – for monks, salt merchants, gold diggers, wood-cutters, glass workers and now for the tourists. Until the Fall of the Wall in 1989 the Czech and German part Šumava was strongly divided by so called iron curtain, big near-the-border areas of Šumava in former Czechoslovakia were closed up to the general public and many villages here were brought down already after the World War II. The results are to be seen until now: huge areas, now belonging to the Šumava National Park (founded in 1991), are pure nature, with just remaining stone ruins from the former villages. The area of the National Park Šumava covers 69 000 hectars and practically the whole region of Šumava belongs to the Protected Landscape Area (169 000 hectars). The Czech protected area region together with the National Park Bavarian Forest creates a so called “Green Roof of Europe” area.
Železná Ruda is one of the natural centers of the Šumava on the western edge of the mountain chain (closer to Holland) with the best possibilities both for winter and summer sporting. The town of Železná Ruda originated in the first half of the 16th century when Duke Nothaft established an iron working hammer mill there. The oldest building in Železná Ruda is the castle presently housing a Museum collection of old skiing, of historical motorbikes and of the “Czech Crater” exhibition. A rare sight is the Saint Helping Mary baroque church with onion shaped cupola. Železná Ruda has been a center of downhill skiing for many years and has full range of shops, rent-a-ski facilities, hotels, restaurants, pensions and private flat rentals. The ski slopes of the mountain Špičák (1202m) and neighbouring Grosser Arber (1460m) in Germany belong to the best in the area (Arber hosts even World Cup Ski Race once a year). There is also extended ski slope directly in Železná Ruda (“Nad nádražím”) and at least eight more ski areas around the town - as Belveder, Samoty and Alpalouka with good facilities and food. Belveder has even its own beer brewery. Most of the ski areas have their own ski schools for advanced and beginning skiers, both skiing and snowboarding, for individual and group training.
Špičák Ski area itself belongs to the best in Czech republic. With its modern four seat lift (850-1202m) and many “schlepperlifts” has a full range of downhill trails from a tourist slope to a racing slope. It has its own ski training school, ski service, ski and snowboard rental, restaurants and bars. Close to the touristic slope is a 3,5 kilometers long circle for ski skating. Špičák ski resort operates its own Horsefeathers snow park for snowboarders and the Kid Ski World called Penguinland. Most of all Špičák trails have its own snowmaking possibility (technical snow). The Železná Ruda municipalty maintains also 70 kilometers of cross country skiing tracks in the wonderful National Park Šumava area. Close are also German renowned cross country skiing resorts as Bretterschachten, Zwieslerwaldhaus and Scheiben, all close to the Grosser Arber mountain and to the Arber lake.
The Železná Ruda region of Šumava is well accessible from Holland via Germany, the closest “Deggendorf – Arber” exit of the German highway A3 Cologne-Frankfurt-Passau is only 50 kilometers away. It has also good railway connection both from German side and from the Czech side (via Prague and Pilsen). The Czech capital Prague is 2,5 driving hours away (distance of 170km), the city of good beer – Pilsen is 80 kilometers away. The railway links Železná Ruda with Pilsen and Prague. There is the longest railway tunnel in Czech under the Špičák mountain (1748 meters long).
23.8.2010
www.sumavanet.cz/zeleznaruda (Town)
www.spicak.cz (Ski paradise)
www.bilastopa.cz (Cross country skiing info)
www.hotelbelveder.cz (Hotel, Brewery and Salt Cave)
www.pension-bohmerwald.cz (Hotel, Fitness, Sauna )
www.penzion-stmoritz.cz (Old styled family hotel)
www.engadin.cz (Hotel)
www.hotelgradl.cz (Hotel)
www.sumavanet.cz/sirotek (Hotel)
Wintersports Press Event
Het Tsjechisch bureau voor Toerisme neemt deel aan „Wintersport Press event“ die vindt plaats op 2 September 2010 in Snowworld Zoetermeer.
Een landschap om in te leven – Kom ontspannen in het Tsjechische gebergte in de winter!
Omgeven en doorsneden door bergen behoort de Tsjechische Republiek in historisch opzicht to de pionier op skigebied en permanent tot de skigrootmachten.
Tsjechische wintersportcentra zijn:
Krkonoše/ Reuzengebergte www.krkonose.eu - Špindlerův Mlýn, Harrachov,Rokytnice, Vrchlabí etc
Jizerské hory/Isergebergte www.liberecky-kraj.cz - Ještěd, Bedřichov, Severák etc
Beskydy/Beskyden www.beskydy-info.cz - Pustevny, Kyčerka, Bílá etc
Šumava/Boheemse Woud www.sumava.com - Železná Ruda, Zadov, Špičák etc
Orlické hory/Adelaarsgebergte www.orlickehory-cz.info - Deštné, Říčky, Čenkovice etc
Jeseníky/Jeseníky gebergte www.ok-tourism.cz/jeseniky – Praděd, Ramzová, Miroslav etc
Krušné hory/Ertsgebergte www.krusnehory.net - Klínovec, Boží Dar, Bublava etc
Česká Sibiř www.moninec.cz – Koninec
Králický Sněžník www.skisneznik.cz; www.holidayinfo.cz - Dolní Morava
Vysočina www.holydayinfo.cz - Nové Město na Moravě, Olešnice
Algemeen info - www.ceskehory.cz
Šumava/Boheemse Woud – (www.sumava.com)is het oudste in Centraal Europa gelegen gebergte en wordt „de groene longen van Europa“ genoemd.
Het grootste gedeelte van Šumava maakt deel uit het Nationaal Park Šumava en aan de Duitse zijde het Nationaal Park Beierse Woud. Dit gebied is door de internationale organisatie UNESCO uitgeroepen tot biosferisch reservaat.
De rustige, grotendeels beboste kammen van Šumava hebben op sommige plaatsen het karakter van een hoogvlakte.
De twee grootste skicentra zijn Železná Ruda en Zadov, het bekendste centrum voor afdalingsskiёn is Železná Ruda, dat samen met het naburige Duitse Gross Arber over veel skiterreinen beschikt in alle moelijkheidsgraden. Men kan uit alles een keuze maken, variёrend van kleinschaligere lokaliteiten met een lift tot grotere gebieden als Belveder, Špičák of Gross Arber. Het langlaufmekka is zonder twijfel Zadov met prachtige wedstrijdtrajecten en vele tientallen kilometers onderhouden toeristische loipes die door adembenemende natuurgebieden voeren. Zadov is tegelijkertijd samen met het naburige Nové Hutě na Železná Ruda het op één na grootste centrum voor afdalingsskiёn in Šumava, met een compleet pakket aan skivoorzieningen. De voorwaarden voor het afdalingsskiёn zijn in de meeste bergdorpen van Šumava gelimiteerd door de afgeronde reliёf van het terrein, dat slechts het bestaan van kleinere gebieden mogelijk maakt met kortere skipistes, bijzonder voor kinderen.
