When driving through the Czech countryside, I always wonder how old the forests are and imagine them like a fairy tale, full of history and mystery. Upon researching, I found that many of the Czech Republic’s indigenous forests have now been artificially replaced by spruce woods. Today, about one third of Czech forests are still made up of their original tree structures.

Forests typical of the Czech Republic are primarily a mixture of oaks, firs and spruce. As you hike, you may see a common sign “Památný Strom” – Czech for “historically significant tree” – placed by the state authorities. Sometimes the locals decide to mark a tree as well, with signs that may contain a little unintended humor. The best example we’ve found is a tree sign saying “People, do not harm me! I am a linden protected by state. I was planted at the rule of the king Ladislav Pohrobek. I am 563 years old.” (See picture) The misspelled name of the king Ladislav Pohrobek – Pohrohrobek –suggesting that this king stuttered, is not a historically supported fact!

As you plan your hikes to explore Czech nature this spring, consider visiting one of the following national nature reserves:

National Nature Reserve Jizerskohorské bučiny

Located in northern Bohemia in the foothills of the Jizera Mountains, this preserve is made up mostly of beech trees. The interiors of beech forests are typically a variety of granite rocks and boulders, as well as rock mushrooms, gates, or bowls. The whole area is very steep, so while the peaks remain brown-gray year-round, the forest below them turns beautifully yellow and red-brown in the fall.

National Nature Reserve Javorina

Javorina in the White Carpathian Mountains is the oldest protected area in Moravia. In 1909, the owners – the royal Family of Liechtenstein – limited all forestry interventions and let the forest’s natural development take control. As no one has cultivated the trees in more than 100 years, the forest is filled with trees in bizarre shapes caused by uprooting and wind. On a foggy day, this forest has an especially mysterious atmosphere.

National Nature Reserve Salajka

Salajka is a fir and beech forest located about 500 meters from the mountain pass Bumbálka in the protected landscape area of Beskydy. For more than 70 years, the trees did not benefit anyone, so under the protection of old rotting trunks of beech and fir trees grows an extremely diverse forest. Some individual firs are up to 400 years old with a height of over 50 meters. There are also approximately 250 kinds of mushrooms in this forest, but be careful: while as you know we Czechs love collecting them, mushrooms found here are off limits by penalty of law.

National Nature Reserve Vůznice

Vůznice is not just the name of the local highlands forest, but also of the stream that forms the backbone axis of the reservation. The valley along the stream used to be an important trade route during the Middle Ages, as evidenced by the ruins of the mysterious 13th century castle Jenčová still standing in the forest.

Two Famous Czech Trees

The largest living tree in the Czech Republic also happens to be the country’s national tree: the linden. This massive tree is called “Vejda’s linden.” To give you an idea of just how large this tree is, at a point just 130 centimeters above the ground, the trunk’s perimeter measures 12.5 meters long. Vejda’s linden is in Pastviny, not far from Ústí nad Orlicí (coordinates 50.0950122N, 16.5542714E).

Other than its astounding size, this tree has quite a dark history. In the past, a little boy accidentally fell inside a large hole in its trunk and vanished. For several weeks, people heard weak crying coming from the tree. Everyone assumed these were cries of evil ghosts, so nobody dared to come close to it. Years later when the trunk finally split open, they found the boy’s skeleton inside.

The oldest known Czech tree is the Klokočovská linden (49.8013897N, 15.6745778E) in the Železné Mountains, with an estimated age of 1,000 years or more. History shows that it was already a fully-grown tree in the 14th century.

As you can see, trees and forests make up an important part of Czech history and culture. The next time you’re out enjoying a walk through nature, try using the Czech words for the many beautiful trees in the country.

Czech Tree Vocabulary

Tree – Strom
Beech – Buk
Linden – Czech National Tree Lípa
Fir – Smrk
Oak – Dub
Birch – Bříza
Poplar – Topol
Ash – Jasan
Elm – Jilm
Maple – Javor
Pine – Borovice
Apple Tree – Jabloň