Šumava or The Bohemian Forest is a low mountain range creating natural borders among the Czech Republic, Germany and Austria. Šumava is one of the oldest European mountain ranges, its origin dating back to the Paleozolic Era. The average annual temperatures range between three to six Celsius degrees. There is also Šumava National Park located in the mountain range. The park was founded in 1991, it is the Czech Republic’s largest national park and its purpose is to protect extensive peat bogs, mountain meadows, unique glacial lakes or various endangered species of plants and animals. Šumava is often referred to as the green roof of Europe. The area and its surroundings has a lot to offer, not only the beautiful nature, but also various museums, splendid churches, wonderful castles and monumental chateaux, popular mountains, several hiking trails, bicycle paths and other trails.
The highest mountain is Großer Arber (1456 m) on the German side, as for the Czech side, the highest mountain is called Plechý (1378 m). In the elevation of about 1 000 metres, there are several glacial lakes, among the most well-known there are Devil’s Lake, Black Lake or Laka lake.
