Doupovské mountains

Doupovské mountains

Around Karlovy Vary are the Doupovske Mountains, which are home to various rare bird species. At first sight you will fall in love with the local landscape, mineral water springs and the generally rich flora and fauna. More than half of the area of the Doupovské hory is occupied by the military area of Hradiště, which is inaccessible to the public.

Children will be delighted by the Rock of the Elves (Skalka skřítků), a natural monument in the western part of the mountains. Geologically, these are several dozen pseudo-karst cavities together, which create interesting hollows in the rocks. Some formations are up to 5 metres deep! Of course, the existence of the passages in the first place has brought a number of mythical explanations for their creation. According to one legend, for example, invisible elves lived in the passages, guarding the treasure. Scientific theories, on the other hand, tend to suggest that the cavities in the rocks were created by the uprooting of tree trunks in the Tertiary period. Volcanic ash covered the trunks and buried them. Most likely, however, the cavities were formed by the weathering of some rocks, in which gas cavities formed.