Location: | Bohemian Switzerland at the E3 European long distance path from . Acccesible by foot from Hřensko, parking at the restaurant Klepáč. Acccesible by foot from Mezní Louka, parking at the hotel Mezní Louka. |
Open: |
JAN to MAR Fri, Sat, Sun 10-16. APR to OCT daily 10-18. [2013] |
Fee: |
Adults CZK 75/EUR 3, Children CZK 25/EUR 1. [2013] |
Classification: | Natural Bridge |
Light: | n/a. |
Dimension: | W=26.5 m, H=16 m, L=8 m. |
Guided tours: | n/a |
Photography: | no restrictions. |
Accessibility: | easy paths on site, but the site is accessible only by a long walk. |
Bibliography: | |
Address: | Pravčická Brána, Hřensko 82, 407 17, Tel: +420-412-554-286. E-mail: |
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info. |
1826 | first tavern constructed. |
1881 | Hotel Sokolí hnízdo (Falcon's Nest) built by Prince Edmund of Clary-Aldringen. |
1982 | arch closed to visitors. |
The Pravčická Brána (Prebischtor) is the biggest natural bridge in Europe and a famous tourist destination. It is located in Bohemian Switzerland, a landscape of eroded sandstone cliffs located at the border between Germany and the Czech Republic. The natural bridge is located on the Czech side of the border and so the Czech version of the name is the official one, but the German name Prebischtor is as commonly used. The site is well developed and entered through the holiday chateau named Sokolí hnízdo (Falkenhorst, Falcon's Nest).
The natural bridge is huge hole through a rather slim sandstone cliff, only 7 m to 8 m thick. The hole is 26 m wide at the bottom and from the floor to the ceiling 16 m high. The bridge itself is only about three meters thick and looks rather fragile. Actually its days are numbered, continuing erosion will destroy it soon, at least in geologic terms. But this erosion was multiplied by frequent visitors, and so the arch itself is not accessible any more. It was closed to protect the natural bridge in 1982.
The place was famous for a long time when a tavern was constructed for the frequent visitors in 1826. In 1881 the Hotel Sokolí hnízdo (Falkenhorst, Falcon's Nest) was built on the same site by Prince Edmund of Clary-Aldringen. It looks like other famous buildings of this era: somewhat kitschy but also a little bit out of this world. The fairy tale atmosphere of the site was reason why it was used as a location for the movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Today the building contains the ticket office for the site, a restaurant, a hotel with 80 beds, and an exhibition about the geology and the plants and animals of the Bohemian Switzerland.
The cliffs of the Bohemian Switzerland were formed by the erosion of the sandstone. Harder parts of the sandstone are more resistant against weathering, so they take longer to erode. Soft layers form cavities and caves, collapse produces tectonic caves and weathering along cracks and bedding planes creates wall-like structures. The result is a pretty strange landscape which is the main attraction of this area. There is a vast system of walking trails offering access to the cliffs, only a few sights are accesible by car.
The Malá Pravčická brána (Kleines Prebischtor) is a second natural bridge located