The Elbe Sandstone Mountains will have one more attraction from Saturday. The Edmund Gorge in Bohemian Switzerland will then be open to visitors again. The Kamenice River flows through the gorge on its way to the Elbe. Since the forest fires in summer 2022, the attraction has been closed for safety reasons due to the risk of rockfalls. Now the first boat trips for tourists are set to begin.
Access limited for the time being
However, restrictions apply: For the time being, only 50 people per day are allowed to enter the gorge as part of a guided tour, according to the Czech municipality of Hřensko. The boats turn back at the end. It is therefore not possible to walk on to the Wild Gorge. Tickets for a visit can only be purchased at the tourist information office at the municipal office in Hřensko and only for the current day. Reservations are not possible, you have to show up on site.
Visitors with baby carriages, dogs, small children or people with limited mobility are excluded from visiting for the time being, the administration announced. In the event of bad weather, access will be suspended and will be decided on a day-to-day basis.
The trip to Edmund's Gorge takes around 20 minutes
The Kamenice River forms two deep gorges between the villages of Vysoká Lípa and Hřensko: the Wild Gorge and Edmund's Gorge. Both can be navigated by boat, although Edmund's Gorge is considered more impressive and is particularly popular. During the trip, the boatmen tell amusing stories and interpret the rock formations with a lot of imagination.
The trip through the approximately 450-metre-long Wilde Klamm takes around 15 minutes, while the trip through the Edmundsklamm, which is twice as long, takes around 20 minutes. Access is possible from various directions, but always involves a good two-kilometre walk. The distance between the gorges is 1.5 kilometers.
Special vegetation in the gorges
The vegetation is also a special feature. As cold air collects in the deep gorges, plants that are otherwise found in the colder climate of mountain regions thrive here. The gorges were made accessible in the 19th century by Prince Edmund Clary-Aldringen, who was committed to the development of tourism in the region.
Saxony's Environment Minister Georg-Ludwig von Breitenbuch (CDU) accepted an invitation from his Czech counterpart Petr Hladík to reopen the Edmundsklamm gorge. "Saxony and the Czech Republic have always had a strong bond. This can be seen, among other things, in the close cooperation between the national park administrations in Saxon and Bohemian Switzerland," emphasized the minister. The development of tourism, the special experience of nature and the strengthening of environmental awareness for the beauty of the region would also require joint action in the future.
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