Valy is a modest but characterful hill rising to 544 metres above sea level, tucked behind the cemetery in Studánka, a part of the town of Varnsdorf. It's a place where quiet countryside charm meets a touch of forgotten history.

The hill belongs to the Krásná Lípa Hills within the wider Šluknov Hills, and ranks as the tenth highest summit in that whole upland region. The settlement of Studánka spreads across its top, complete with the church of St Francis of Assisi, while road I/9 runs right across the summit. The terrain is gentle and pastoral, typical of this corner of northern Bohemia, with fields and scattered woodland. Valy also marks the watershed between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea — the Křinice stream rises on its western slope, while the Zlatý potok, a tributary of the Mandava, springs from the eastern side. In autumn and winter, mist often rolls over the surrounding fields, giving the hill a moody, atmospheric feel.

How to get to the summit

• Studánka (Varnsdorf) — short approach from the cemetery, easy walk
• Accessible directly via road I/9, which crosses the summit

Practical information

• Faint remains of Swedish fortifications from the Thirty Years' War can still be traced on the hilltop
• In 1642, troops under General Carl Gustav Wrangel set out from here to capture Tolštejn Castle

It's a quiet spot with a surprising military past — hard to imagine soldiers massing here nearly four centuries ago as you stroll past today's peaceful village church.