If you’re visiting Františkovy Lázně, you can also stop by the nearby Soos Nature Reserve. The park, often nicknamed the “Czech Yellowstone,” features extensive peat bogs and marshes where mineral springs bubble up, much like in the nearby spa town.
You can explore part of the peat bog along an educational trail that takes you across the bed of a dried-up salt lake. The park is a true European rarity; some parts resemble a lunar landscape with their white layer of precipitated minerals. Naturally, such a rare site is also home to a variety of protected animals, plants, and trees, with wetland plants thriving here in particular. A new species of algae was even discovered here, named Percursaria percursa. Perhaps the most fascinating sight is watching carbon dioxide escape from the mud volcanoes. This spectacle is, of course, accompanied by a hissing sound. In the muddy areas, the mud bubbles up.
The Soos Nature Reserve also features a geological park and a museum with a permanent exhibition dedicated to the surrounding nature. You’ll also find an exhibition commemorating the history of the region, complete with reproductions of Zdeněk Burian’s paintings and even life-size models of prehistoric reptiles. Children are sure to enjoy the exhibit featuring rescued animals.
