Praha/Vimperk - New hiking trails will be established in the Šumava National Park. They will interconnect the Czech Republic, Austria and Bavaria, Germany.
Marking the trails has been enabled by the expansion of the Schengen area.
So far, it has not been possible to cross the international borders in most of Šumava as its large parts lie in the park's first zone and other protected areas where it is not allowed to leave the official trails. And these have so far existed almost entirely within the individual countries.
At least 15 new border crossings
"25 points where crossing the border will be possible should be established. About 15 of them have already been approved, the rest is a subject of litigations at the moment," Czech Tourist Club Chairman Jan Stráský says. Approximately 20 new tourist trails will be established.
The representatives of tourists, administrations of National Parks and individual municipalities and regions are negotiating on the interconnection of the international borders.
"The problematic spots concern localities with bird reservations, for instance," Jan Stráský explains. He says that the trails have not yet been marked but this will be done very soon.
Restricted areas
At the same time, an extensive protected area which won't be mostly accessible to hikers is to be established in Šumava. This is locality Modravské slatě in the area of Roklan and Luzný of approximately 13,000 hectares.
The administration of the Park is however planning to allow tourists to enter the restricted areas with a guide. "We are testing the booking system at the moment. Very soon we want to make about five restricted areas accessible for groups with qualified guides," Josef Štemberk of the Park PR Section says.
It will be possible to visit Křemelná, Trojmezenský prales or the Smrčina zone, for instance. Also the possibility of a limited number of visits to Modravské slatě is being discussed.
The entrance fee to these areas will be about CZK 200.
