Klepáč – Trójmorski Wierch (CZ/PL)

The Śnieżnik Mountains (Králický Sněžník/Masyw Śnieżnika) are situated at the Czech-Polish border, 170 kilometres east of Prague. The watershed triplepoint is located on a subpeak, the Klepáč (Trójmorski Wierch), at 1145 metres. From here the water flows into the North Sea (Elbe), the Baltic Sea (Oder) and the Black Sea (Danube).

The area has an eventful past. Here the historical landscapes Bohemia, Moravia and Kłodzko Land met. National borders have shifted various times in this region during the last centuries, residents were forcefully delodged. Difficult to access, the mountains have retained their original character to this day, but are increasingly threatened by booming tourism.

In addition to tourism, our visit focused on the ecological situation of the local forests, the impact of acid rain, storms and bark beetles. The privatisation of water supply in the Czech Republic was of strong interest, and a gigantic project with retention basins for flood prevention in Poland.

At last, we visited the baths of Vincenz Priessnitz in Lázně Jeseník, who invented a Cold Water Cure for all kinds of ailments in 1820, which is popular until today.