Plechý and Plešné Lake
Set off to explore Plechý, the highest mountain in the Czech part of the Šumava Mountains.
Plechý, the highest mountain in the Czech section of the Šumava (Bohemian Forest) at 1,378 m, lies about 14 km west of Horní Planá and about 8 km southwest of Nová Pec on the Czech-Austrian border. The mountain attracts visitors with a number of natural and cultural highlights.
Total length
15 km (one way)
Duration
Full-day trip
Difficulty level
medium
Route description
The most attractive feature is the glacial Plešné Lake, which was inaccessible to the public for many years. On the slope above the lake stands a 14.5-metre-high monument to the writer and poet Adalbert Stifter. Built by local stonemasons in a steep, hard-to-reach cliff above the lake, it stands at the very spot where Stifter loved to gaze over the countryside.
On the southern slope of Plechý rises the 211-metre-high rock wall of the Plešné Lake cirque – a significant geomorphological formation and one of the most precious natural features of the local nature reserve.
Near the "dam" (cirque threshold) of Plešné Lake, a vast boulder field spreads out, formed by large blocks of coarse-grained Plöckenstein granite cracked by frost weathering.
On the northern side of Plechý runs the Schwarzenberg Navigational Canal, accessible from the settlement of Jelení, where the canal passes through an underground tunnel with two remarkable portals.
Access to the summit of Plechý is possible via the red-marked ridge trail from the settlement of Nové Údolí (4 km south of Stožec) via Dreisessel, Trojmezí and the tripoint (15 km – about 5 hours). From the top of Plechý, one can descend via the yellow trail to Plešné Lake. From there, you can continue on the green trail to the settlement of Jelení, or take the green trail connecting to the blue trail leading to Nová Pec.
