The Doupov Mountains stretch out around Karlovy Vary and are home to various rare bird species. You’ll fall in love with the local landscape, mineral springs, and the region’s rich flora and fauna at first sight. More than half of the Doupov Mountains is occupied by the Hradiště military training area, which is closed to the public.
Children, on the other hand, will enjoy the Skalka skřítků natural monument, located in the western part of the mountains. Geologically, it consists of several dozen pseudokarst cavities clustered together, creating interesting bulges in the rocks. Some formations are up to 5 meters deep! Naturally, the existence of these tunnels has given rise to a whole range of mythical explanations for their origin. According to one legend, for example, invisible gnomes lived in the tunnels, guarding a treasure. Scientific theories, on the other hand, suggest that the cavities in the rocks were formed by the uprooting of tree trunks during the Tertiary period. Volcanic ash covered the trunks and buried them. Most likely, however, the cavities were formed by the weathering of certain rocks, in which gas cavities formed.
