Zemská brána — meaning 'Gateway to the Land' — is one of the most striking natural landmarks in the Orlické hory (Eagle Mountains). Here, the wild Divoká Orlice river has carved a deep, dramatic gorge through the mountain ridge, forming a natural gateway into Bohemia. Boulder-strewn rapids, towering rock faces and dense ancient forest make this a place that stays with you long after you leave.
The nature reserve sits at an elevation of 570 to 650 metres and covers over 88 hectares of protected wilderness. The valley is narrow and steep-sided, with rocky slopes plunging straight down to the river below. In spring the Divoká Orlice runs fast and loud; in summer the gorge offers welcome shade under a canopy of spruce, fir and beech; autumn transforms the hillsides into a blaze of colour, while winter brings ice-draped cliffs and frozen silence. Rock climbers have been visiting since the 1970s to tackle the low but dramatically overhung mica-schist crags on the valley slopes.
How to get thereThe name itself tells the story: for centuries the river marked the state border, and right at this bend it turns inland — making the gorge a symbolic and literal gateway into the Czech lands.
Source: Wikipedia (license CC BY-SA 4.0)