Boubín forest
Come with us on the Boubín Forest Trail, where nature is in its original, unfettered form, without human intervention. The spruces here reach a height of up to 50 m, young trees grow from old stumps, the trunks are intertwined in all sorts of ways. There are lots of upheavals and rotting trees everywhere. The earth is overgrown with moss and ferns, like a fairy tale.
The uniqueness of the forest is that it is more resistant to commercial forests. Soil is richer in microorganisms and therefore more nutritious. Spruce, beech and fir grow here. The primeval forest serves as a natural laboratory for climate change.
Originally, wolves, bears and lynx lived in the rainforests, which were a natural predator for deer, roe deer, fallow deer and other ungulates. At present, there are ten times more herbivores than the forest can feed. That is why a fence has grown on the border of the forest, which should protect it at least a little. In the 1980s, the lynx in the Šumava was released, which breeds successfully here. The occurrence of a wolf has also been reported.
Information for visitors
Interesting facts Boubín forest
If you go to the Boubín lookout tower, you will follow the blue one from Kubova Huta, which is followed by purple arrows. After about three kilometers, the trail will start to be more uphill, it will lead you along the rocks and bare roots of old trees. At the top of the Boubín mountain, measuring 1362 m, there is a 21 m high lookout tower. In good weather, you can also see the alpine peaks. A memorial stone stands here as a reminder of Friedrich von Schwarzenberg's visit.
On the way from Mount Boubín to the forest you will pass a hunting lodge and the chapel of St. Huberta. You can learn more about the local landscape, plants and animals on several information boards. Downstream of the Kaplický brook, which flows through the forest, is a lake, built in 1836. Until 1957, it served as a water reservoir for the navigation canal during timber harvesting. The trunks were split into meters and floated across the water to a nearby Lenore glassworks. But the water is icy, so swimming is only for big hardy.
Author: Marie Bukovinská