This is a place of memory rather than a hiking destination in the usual sense - the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary once stood on the square of the vanished town of Přísečnice in the Ore Mountains before disappearing beneath the waters of a reservoir. Its story fascinates anyone interested in the fate of the Czech borderlands after 1945.

The area around today's Přísečnice dam is a landscape of contrasts - windswept Ore Mountain ridges, dark spruce forests and a water surface hiding the streets and square of a lost town. In autumn, mist drifts over the reservoir, while winter brings frost and emptiness that only deepen the melancholic mood of the place. In summer, hikers and cyclists come here seeking quiet away from the crowds.

How to get there

• Viewpoint near the Přísečnice dam - accessible from nearby villages, easy route, about 30-45 minutes on foot
• Hiking and cycling trails around the reservoir - easy to moderate difficulty

Practical information

• The church was demolished before 1974 due to the construction of the Přísečnice reservoir, even though the building itself stood outside the flooded area
• An archaeological survey of the church interior was carried out shortly before demolition
• The original church was built in 1583 as a Protestant place of worship and rebuilt in Baroque style between 1759 and 1767

It's worth remembering that beneath the surface of the Přísečnice reservoir lies an entire vanished town, including the square where this Gothic-turned-Baroque church once stood as a silent witness to its disappearance.