Teplice Rock Town: A Stunning Escape from Boredom Awaits!
The impressive Teplice Rocks feature tall rock walls reaching up into the sky. This intriguing place has the biggest rock labyrinth in Central Europe, offering challenging climbs and thrilling activities, including a chilly area named Siberia, where fewer tourists venture compared to the nearby Adršpach Rocks. The Teplice circuit spans approximately 7 km and follows the blue hiking path. To reach this area, simply travel to Teplice nad Metují and park at the Orlík Hotel. From there, you’ll be led along the blue hiking trail and the Teplice Rock Town Nature Trail, which winds around the Rock Stream, past the ruins of Střmen Castle, and on toward the Rock Gate and the Climbing Hut.
That’s where you truly enter the wild – through narrow rock gorges paired with stunning natural sights like the Great Temple Square, where tall rock walls enclose a small area like pillars in a temple. Other fascinating rock formations are also worth exploring, such as Krakonoš’s toothpick, the Tsunami rock tower, the Ship and the Koráb, and the Dogcatcher along with a dog, Feferonka, and even some local ruins. When you reach the Polar Bear, you’ll know it’s time to head down through the moss-covered rocks in the Annen Valley. Here is where the aforementioned Siberia is located, where snow can stick around until July, and even during the hottest summer days, the temperature generally stays below 10°C. You can find both dry-loving heather and cranberries, mountain ferns, and blueberries, as well as plants that thrive in cold conditions, which have shorter growing seasons due to lingering ice and snow. You’re sure to be amazed by the stunning mix of rocks, a clear stream, and narrow cold passages.
In addition to this popular circuit, there are paths that lead to less-visited spots like the rock Mazes (marked in green), Vulture Rocks, the Stork lookout tower, or Jirásek Rocks near the settlement of Skály.
Beware of access restrictions due to nesting falcons
Every year, the Teplice Rocks become home to peregrine falcons as they come to raise their young. Therefore, there are specific access restrictions in place around the Temple Walls, meaning no one can enter within 200 m of the rock formations around the Temple Walls, including sections of the blue-marked hiking trail on the tourist path in the Teplice Rock Town, specifically from Small Temple Square around the Temple Walls to the rock formation Herynek. This restriction is enforced throughout the entire breeding season, mostly until June. On certain days, visitors may be able to watch the nesting process with a telescope.
