Nature has no borders

Tips

Hiking suggestions and a wealth of knowledge about nature and culture in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains:

Topographische Wanderkarte 1:25.000 der Nationalparkregionen in der Sächsisch-Böhmischen Schweiz mit mehrfarbigem Begleitheft

Topographical Trail Map
of the Saxon/Bohemian Switzerland National Park Regions, 1:25,000, with full-colour booklet

ISBN 3-89679-361-6

available for 9.60 Euros at

your local bookseller
Nationalparkhaus in Bad Schandau
Amselfallbaude and Eishaus information points in the National Park
the Land Survey Office of Saxony
(Landesvermessungs-
amt Sachsen)

This map shows on one page the entire region of the Saxon Switzerland National Park and broad sections of the neighboring České Švýcarsko ("Bohemian Switzerland") mountains in the Czech Republic.
The trail network on the map has been compiled with special attention to the conservation regulations of the park and its core areas, thus contributing to your personal safety as well as the protection of the environment.

Looking over the border...

The Elbe Sandstone Mountains stretch along both banks of the Elbe River Valley and across both sides of the Czech/German border, covering a total area of 710 km2.

This natural space is artificially divided by the political border between Germany and the Czech Republic. Nevertheless, a history of international collaboration in conservation dates back to the last century, for conservation knows no borders!

A substantial and, to a certain extent, very much interconnected system of "Great Reserves" has been developed in the past 50 years in these mountains on both sides of the border:

EUROREGION Elbe/Labe

Conservation Areas in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains
Category and Name	Founded	Current Area in square kilometers
Saxon Switzerland Conservation Area (Germany)	1956	287,5
Labské pískovce (Elbe Sandstone) Conservation Area- (Czech Republic)	1972	250
Saxon Switzerland National Park (Germany)	1990	93,5
České Švýcarsko (Bohemian Switzerland) National Park (Czech Republic)	2000	79

Conservation connects

Europe is fusing together, and the three conservation area administrations of Saxon/Bohemian Switzerland aim to continue making a tangible contribution to this process within the Euroregion Elbe/Labe. This rests on many years of tradition and commonalities on both sides of the border.

Central to this cooperation is agreeing upon all of the important conservation, husbandry and development measures. The goal is to develop the region as a protected natural and cultural landscape in the most unified way possible.

The Concrete Areas of Collaboration:

The concrete international cooperation of the three conservation area administrations concentrates on the following areas:

Husbandry and development planning
Documentation of natural spaces
Environmental education, public relations and visitor advisory

The administrations of the protected areas dedicate themselves to lasting, cross-border tourism. Each supports this by providing common or mutually agreed opportunities for encountering the partners' protected areas to visitors. The support of tourism may not, however, become a hindrance to conservation goals.

The border-crossing bridges over the Kirnitzsch in the area of the Rabensteine/Zadní
Jetrichovice: In 2002 and at the opening of the border crossing on 28.10.2003

Fotos: Matthias Herschel und Frank Richter, National Park staff

Open Gates for Hikers

The most recent example of international cooperation in this area is the opening of a border crossing for hikers and bicyclists at the Rabensteine/Zadní Jetrichovice in October, 2003. This opened up new possibilities for discovering the Bohemian Switzerland National Park.

You can find further border-crossings in the sandstone mountains by looking at the map, "Grenzübergänge Sächsiche-Böhmische Schweiz," available as a .pdf file via a link at the bottom of the page.

The international cooperation is also oriented towards bringing together the residents and friends of both regions, thereby making a contribution to inter-cultural understanding.

You can find further details and the legal basis for this cooperation in our bilateral strategy bilateral strategy for natural conservation of the border region.