Luž (793 m a.s.l.) is the highest peak of the Lusatian Mountains — a bold phonolite dome sitting right on the Czech-German border. It offers one of the most sweeping panoramas in the whole region, and you can literally step from the Czech Republic into Saxony at the very top.
Despite its modest elevation, Luž has a surprisingly wild feel. The summit zone is protected as a nature reserve on both sides of the border, cloaked in old-growth forest. Autumn transforms the beeches and maples into a blaze of gold and crimson, while winter brings snow-dusted vistas that stretch seemingly endlessly. On a clear day the view spans from the Ore Mountains and Děčín Snowdon across the Bohemian Highlands, the rocky towers of Trosky, all the way to Ještěd and the Krkonoše peaks. To the north lie the towns and hills of Upper Lusatia in Germany.
How to reach the summitThe old inn that once stood here was famously split by the border — it had two separate post boxes, one Austrian and one German, and guests had to make sure they dropped their postcards into the right one!