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Černé jezero

Černé jezero is the largest glacial lake in Šumava and at the same time the largest lake in the Czech Republic.

If we do not count the water areas created with the contribution of man. It has an area of 18.47 hectares. It lies at an altitude of 1008 meters and its maximum depth reaches 39.8 meters. It was formed in the last ice age. It is located six kilometers northwest of Železná Ruda, less than one kilometer from the Czech-German state border. The lake lies below the northern slope of Jezerní hora, which rises above it with a 320-meter-high Jezerní stěna. It is one of the karst lakes excavated by a glacier during the Würm icing. The black color of the lake is caused by the reflection of the dark forests that surround it. The bottom of the lake is formed by a rock, on which there is currently a layer of sludge about nine meters thick, which forms pollen from the surrounding trees, which has been deposited here for thousands of years.

From the south, two tributaries flow into the lake. The water from the lake flows down the Černý potok into the Úhlava river. The transparency of the water reaches a depth of 4-5 meters. The surface usually freezes in the period from December to April to May and the strength of the ice is up to 75 centimeters.

At present, a red marked ridge route of the Czech Tourists Club from Malý Špičák and further northwest leads around the lake, as well as a yellow marked walking route and a cycling ridge route 2055 from Špičácké sedlo.

Čertovo Jezero

According to an ancient legend, the Devil's Lake, which lies in the Šumava forests near Železná Ruda, was named after a devil who drowned with a stone on his tail. He was supposedly defeated by a brave girl, whom he wanted to take to hell. During the struggle, the infernal carved a pit from which springs erupted and formed a lake.

Devil's Lake in the Klatovy region is actually a so-called karst lake of glacial origin. However, this does not detract from its mystery and romance. The lake is one of the less accessible, but you will definitely not regret the effort. It is located in the Royal Forest on the southeastern slope of Jezerní hora, about four kilometers from Železná Ruda. The water level is 1,030 meters above sea level and the depth of the lake reaches almost 37 meters in places. Čertovo jezero is a part of the Černé a Čertovo jezero National Nature Reserve, which was declared on an area of 175 hectares in 1911. It is not located in the national park, but is part of the Šumava Protected Landscape Area. It is best to go to Čertova jezero from Špičácký sedlo pod Pancířem or from the other side by the road from Železná Ruda. According to the guides' recommendations, a circuit across both lakes, ie Černá and Čertovo, is a proven and traditional choice. Which lake you visit first is up to you. While you can get to the Black Lake very comfortably with a pram or a wheelchair, the road to the Devil's Lake is definitely not for wheelchair users and only a lot of off-road for prams.

Ostrý

Ostrý (German Osser) is a Šumava mountain in the area of the Royal Forest, the top of which lies in Bavaria near the Czech-German border.

Ostrý (German Osser) is a Šumava mountain in the area of the Royal Forest, the top of which lies in Bavaria near the Czech-German border. It is a distinctive double-peaked knot, which consists of the border Great Sharp (1293 m, German Großer Osser) and the west-lying Little Sharp (1266 m, German Kleiner Osser). The top rock is on the German side, about 10-15 meters behind the border. The highest point in the Czech territory lies on the neighboring rock, above the boundary stone No. 23C, and is only 134 centimeters lower than the peak. With their silhouette seen from the Czech slopes of Šumava and Chodsko, Velký and Malý Ostrý have earned the nickname "Breast of the Mother of God". This nickname was mentioned in 1872 by the Dean of Domažlice, Karel Hájek, and was often used in his work by Jindřich Šimon Baar. Sharp also forms the backdrop of the Bavarian region of Lamer Winkel, which includes the municipalities of Arrach, Lam and Lohberg. In Lam, for which it is the home mountain, they like to call it the "Matterhorn des Bayerwaldes". At the top of Velký Ostrý is the tourist hut Osserschutzhütte Haus Willmann. It was built in 1885. It has undergone many reconstructions and modifications, and is currently owned by the Bavarian Forestry Association of Lam. The Czech - Bavarian border runs across its terrace.

Educational trail Brčálník

The trail is marked with white squares with a green stripe and is undemanding, suitable for the whole family.

A 4.5-kilometer-long circular nature trail begins near the Hojsova Stráž - Brčálník train stop. It leads through the village of Brčálník near Železná Ruda in the Protected Landscape Area of Šumava, to a nice lookout point, where visitors will find a board with a description of what is revealed before their eyes. It continues to the railway viaduct, to the river Úhlava and to the border of the Brčálnice Wetlands Nature Reserve, along post-war paths through pastures and back to the starting point. Including the introductory panel, the trail has a total of 6 information signs, thanks to which visitors will learn interesting information about the nature of the area, Úhlava and the nature reserve itself.

Špičák

The forested Špičák Mountain (1202 m) and the recreation center below are located above Železná Ruda.

On the slopes of Špičák is a large ski and sports area, which offers several ski lifts and slopes for both beginners and advanced skiers. For fans of cross-country skiing, there are maintained cross-country trails in the area. For hiking and biking, there are marked routes such as to Čertova and Černý lakes, Bílá strž waterfall or Špičácké sedlo from where there is a beautiful view of the Hamer's valley of Bílý potok. A part of the Železnorudsko nature trail passes through the Špičák center, which on the 15 km long route introduces visitors to the history of the area, the life of its inhabitants, natural beauty and attractions. Bikers will also enjoy themselves here, to whom Špičák offers a unique Kona Bikepark and several downhill trails of varying difficulty. At Špičák there is a sports hall, tennis courts, a rope and trampoline center, a training climbing wall, sports equipment rentals, and a children's playground. A modern four-seater cable car leads to the top of Špičák, which transports pedestrians and cyclists, paragliders and the disabled, bicycles - free of charge. From the top there is a beautiful view of the forests of the Royal Forest, Devil's Lake or Velký Javor. The Alps are also visible with clear visibility. From the Špičák station in the recreation center, you can take the chairlift to the top of Pancíř, which offers quality skiing and maintained cross-country trails in winter and hiking and cycling trails in summer. The main European watershed between the Black and North Seas passes through the Špičák saddle. Under Špičácký sedlo there is a 1747 meter long tunnel, which was built in the years 1874 - 1877 as one of the first railway tunnels in the then Austria-Hungary. To this day, it is the longest of its kind in the Czech Republic.

Pancíř

Pancíř is a Šumava mountain in the Pancíř ridge, which according to it got its name, although its highest mountain is Můstek with 1234 m. Pancíř is located 5 km northeast of Železná Ruda. At the top is the Pancíř mountain hut from 1923 with a lookout tower.

Pancíř is accessible from several directions. The red-marked ridge path from Děpoltice to Špičák crosses it, which crosses practically the entire Pancíř ridge. Other possibilities are ascent from Železná Ruda along the blue sign via Hofmanky or from Javorná along the green and yellow sign. Due to the fact that the road leads to the mountain hut from Špičácký sedlo (974 m), Pancíř is frequently visited by cyclists and represents for them the third highest peak on the Czech side of Šumava, which can be reached by road. The least strenuous possibility to reach Pancíř is offered by the chairlift Špičák - Hofmanova Bouda - Pancíř, which has a length of 2740 m and overcomes an elevation gain of 348 m, at the lower station there is a parking lot Kaskády.

Hojsova Stráž

Hojsova Stráž (German: Eisenstrass) is a village in the southern part of the Pilsen Region, one of the six parts of the town of Železná Ruda.

Hojsova Stráž lies at an altitude of 890 meters on the western slope of Mount Můstek above the valley of the upper course of Úhlava and is about 9 km north of Železná Ruda. Part of Hojsova Stráž is the mountain settlement Prenet with the chapel of St. Kunhuty, which lies on the route of the historic trail called Světelská. In 2011, 131 permanent residents lived here. The first written mention of Hojsova Stráž comes from 1614. The original settlement was founded near the iron ore mines. The royal rychta was also based here. A brewery was founded here in 1850, but it was closed down in 1946. The village became better known only in the 20th century thanks to the development of tourism in Šumava. Today, Hojsova Stráž is an important center of winter and summer recreation, there are also ski lifts.

Železná Ruda

Železná Ruda (German: Markt Eisenstein) is a town in the Pilsen Region on the Czech-German border. Approximately 1,600 people live here. The town is located on the border of the Šumava National Park and is one of the Šumava sports and tourist centers.

It is located in the immediate vicinity (approximately 2.5 km) of the Bavarian Iron Ore (German Bayerisch Eisenstein). Železná Ruda got its name thanks to the mining of the raw material of the same name in the first half of the 16th century, thanks to which it was also founded on a much older road through the Šumava from Bohemia to Bavaria. In the 17th century, however, the city's industry shifted to glassmaking. The German name of the town comes from the medieval status of the village, which was a town and had the so-called market law, hence the Markt in the name. In the vicinity there are, for example, Black Lake and Devil's Lake and Mount Spicak. At the cemetery on the southern edge of the city is a protected alley near the cemetery. Baroque Church of Our Lady Help of Stars (with a double dome), Chapel of St. Barbora, the Stations of the Cross with the Chapel of St. Anne, etc. The local museum is housed in a former family house of an important family of glassmakers Abel and has a year-round exhibition related to the history of the city, which was closely connected with glassmaking. Until 2007, the Špičácký tunnel was the longest railway tunnel (1747 m) in the Czech Republic. The state border passes through the train station in Alžbětín. Right in the city center there is a former hunting lodge built in 1690, originally as the summer residence of the Counts of Nothaft. In this building with descriptive number 1, an important Czech scientist, pedagogue and writer prof. dr. Julius Miloš Komárek. At present, it is the oldest preserved building in Železná Ruda and there is a museum of historic motorcycles with a number of unique motorcycles and an exhibition of puppets.

Jezero Laka

The smallest and shallowest of the eight Šumava lakes of glacial origin, it has an area of 2.78 hectares and the perimeter of the lake is 870 m, max. Depth 3.9 m, average 1.43 m.

Lake Laka is slowly overgrown, with floating islands in the middle. The dam was artificially raised by the lake. In the vicinity, the occurrence of variegated ribs, eared willows, sundews, round-leaved, sagebrush, mountain sagebrush or three-leaved sagebrush. On the floating islands grows a mudgrass, bulbous bulrush, and gray tuft. The lake has a gradual lake wall. The Šumava glacial lakes have rocky bottoms, which are clogged with sludge from the surrounding forests. But there is no stone at the bottom of Lake Laka, instead there is a layer of peat. The water of the lake was used to drive machines (grinders) in the glassworks in Hůrka and Stará Hůrka.

Poledník

Poledník (German: Mittagsberg) is a mountain located on the Kvildské plains in the Šumava Mountains.

The lookout tower on Poledník was created from the former tower of a military electronic border guard facility, which made it possible to monitor radio traffic deep inside the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany. In the 1960s and 1970s, a secret military facility with the cover designation TOPAS was built in a strictly guarded border zone. At that time, even Prášilské Lake, which is nearby, was not accessible. Often this place was not even on the maps. In 1989, the building ceased to be used for military purposes and began to decay. In 1997, after a dispute between the Šumava National Park Administration and the Czech Tourists Club, it was decided to reconstruct the tower and make the top accessible to the public. The buildings of the complex were demolished and only the tower has been preserved. Since 1998, tourists can enjoy a unique view of the entire central Šumava and the Bavarian Forest and with good visibility to see the Alps. The tower measures 37 meters, has 227 steps and has a typical appearance with three semicircular floors in the upper half. The lookout tower on Poledník became one of the most visited places in the Šumava National Park right in the year of its opening - 30,000 people climbed it, in 1999 even 35,000.