Big and small America, Czech Republic. Czech America
The Great America Canyon is an amazingly beautiful place, and it is located not far from. Despite the fact that this is a creation of human hands, when visiting it it makes an indelible impression. The canyon is even included in a paleontological zone of international importance.
Origin of the canyon in the Czech Republic
Czech America Canyon is a limestone quarry located near, 33 km from. There are 16 more quarries in this area. Limestone began to be mined in these places during the reign of King John of Luxembourg in 1320. The peak of production occurred in the 19th–20th centuries, when the metallurgical industry began to develop in the country. Surprisingly, these quarries and the lake of the Great America Canyon were dug by people by hand.
In the early 60s, the quarry was closed, and this place became popular among tourists, speleologists and local residents. This is how the most beautiful canyon near Prague was formed.
What to see?
The largest canyon in the Czech Republic, Great America, has a size of 750x150 m. Its depth is more than 100 m, and the lakes in the canyon are 18 m. Clear blue water and steep cliffs make this place very attractive for walks. Things to do in this place:
Features of the visit
It is officially prohibited to visit the canyon in the Czech Republic. The fine for trespassing is $700. However, the police, who regularly cruise around the canyon, have not yet issued a fine to anyone. On the contrary, it seems that they are protecting tourists. There is a fence with barbed wire around it. And for good reason, because landslides often occur here, and the paths and stones are slippery even in dry weather. Accidents are common here. If you decide to take a walk to Czech America, then wear non-slip, comfortable shoes: flip-flops, ballet flats and sneakers are not suitable.
How to get to Czech America?
The canyon in the Czech Republic is located next to the village of Morina, which you need to get to by bus 311. The stop is called “Morina”, the fare is $7.32. If you prefer hiking, you can walk from Karlštejn Castle to the canyon in 1 hour (distance about 5 km).
In addition to historical, architectural and museum attractions, our country has many places where you can enjoy the beauty of nature. Moreover, some of them are man-made, such as two canyons - Little America and Great America, located on the territory of the capital's national park. They are very popular among tourists traveling.
Regardless of whether you are a simple traveler or your interest in unique natural sites is focused, here in the Karlštejn National Park you will certainly enjoy your stay. The landscape here is so amazing that you might get the impression that you have moved to another planet. The lush vegetation is especially impressive, not to mention the rich fauna of these places. Well, the incredible beauty of the rocks, plateaus and gorges seems fantastic, because they worked on their formation for many millions of years.
Great America, which we want to talk about today, is the oldest of the two canyons mentioned above. This building Czech is rightfully proud, since it (as, indeed, Little America) is part of the world paleontological system. However, new limestone formations appear here, which happens almost every year. Thanks to this process, the canyon looks like a complex tunnel, inside which numerous caves and halls are “hidden”. The space of Greater America, it somewhat resembles career, so large that there was even room for underwater lakes.
At the same time, the depth of the canyon is not too high, it reaches only 60 meters. However, this circumstance in no way affects the perception of this object as very unusual and breathtaking even among the most experienced travelers. In ancient times, a river flowed next to Great America, which led to a large amount of vegetation.
The canyon is notable, first of all, for its unusual structure and, of course, its favorable location on the ground. He owes his discovery to the state, which needed limestone. Therefore, in order to expand the extraction of this useful material, the authorities ordered the construction of a canyon.
Initially, Great America was not considered a tourist destination at all. But today everything has changed. Moreover, the canyon is of interest not only to travel enthusiasts, but also to filmmakers. Its breathtaking landscapes have more than once become natural settings. For example, during the filming of such popular films as “Little Sea Villa” and “Lemonade Joe”.
The canyons of Great and Little America (Kaňony Velká a Malá Amerika) are part of the Karlštejn National Nature Reserve. This creation of human hands, giving the impression of natural canyons, is part of a paleontological zone of international importance.
There are a large number of karst formations here, and fourteen species of bats spend the winter in the canyons. The Grand Canyon is part of a system of abandoned limestone quarries (depth reaches 60 m). Some quarries have deep lakes and a complex system of tunnels. Czech America is located near the village of Morina near Karlstejn Castle.
In the 19th century, limestone was mined in this area; after the Second World War, when the demand for limestone increased, trolleys began to be used to transport it. One of them can still be seen near the lake Azure. Work in the quarries was stopped in the 60s of the 20th century.
Czech America is a very popular destination. There are several reasons for this. This interesting area for paleontologists, zoologists and tourists attracts colonies of bats, and films were also filmed here - “Little Sea Villa”, “Lemonade Joe”. Divers dive in the lakes, and speleologists are interested in the caves, of which there are many. There are nudists sunbathing.
Great caution should be exercised when visiting this area. Every year, people are injured climbing steep slopes trying to reach Azure Lake, ignoring guardrails and warning signs.
Not far from Great America is located canyon mexico, famous for being a prison for 2,000 political prisoners during Soviet totalitarianism. And today a memorial sign has been erected in the quarries, testifying to the inhumanity of the totalitarian regime.
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Natural canyons in the Czech Republic, not far from Prague. , review of the visit with photos.
Canyon (Velka Amerika, Greater America), Grand Canyon in Czech. Located near the castle , 38 kilometers from Prague.
It consists of two faults in which limestone has been mined since the beginning of the 20th century. First Grand Canyon, 800 meters long, 200 meters at its widest, 100 meters deep, part To the anion is flooded, the depth of the lake is about 18 meters. Second Canyon (Little America). The third canyon, the most dangerous, is Mexico (dangerous due to landslides). We did not go to the last canyon. The canyons are connected by tunnels.
We arrived by car with a private guide . We stopped near the observation deck.
View from the observation deck. The site is fenced. They say that suicides jump from this platform, I have not seen it. Canyons claim lives every year. Landslides occur periodically, be careful when walking along the slopes.
Under the observation deck, at the bottom Velka America Canyon, different words and whole sentences are lined with stones.
Canyons often serve as backdrops for film sets.
Lake in Velka America Canyon very cute. At a certain lighting angle, the water in the lake appears turquoise.
Velka America Canyon- a favorite place for people interested in rock climbing, paragliding and diving.
We walked along the path that runs along the entire Grand Canyon.
During the Second World War, small groups of partisans hid in these areas and, thanks to a developed tunnel system, they managed to hide from the Germans. In 1946-57, political prisoners worked in the canyons. They worked in inhumane conditions, many people died.
Stand on the edge Velka America Canyon, quite scary.
We reached the end of the great canyon. We walked a little more than 1 km to Little America.
Second canyon the bottom is overgrown with forest. The entire bottom of the canyon is flooded.
Depth - same as Great America.
Paragliders with motors flew right above the canyons.
We spent about an hour there, the impression of visiting the Velka America canyon was quite positive. Warning: every year several tourists die in the canyons of Velka America.
We have never seen a Czech Republic like this before.
How to get to Great America: canyons are located next to the village Mořina can be reached from Prague.
By bus: from Praha, Zličín bus station to Mořina, travel time 48 minutes.
If you combine a trip with a visit to Karlštejn Castle, you can then get to Beroun by bus, and from there to Karlštejn by train.
Travel time is 43 minutes.
The official website was down at the time of writing this report.
