Lesná: Peat Bogs, Nature Trails and History

If you are interested in nature, hiking and regional history, Lesná offers a variety of things to explore. The entire municipality lies within the Český les Nature Park. The Lesná cadastral area is also home to the Podkovák Nature Reserve: covering 5.6 hectares, it protects a small raised bog with stands of bog pine. The nature park provides the landscape setting for the whole municipality; Podkovák refers to a specific bog area.

Nature Trails by Theme and Length

The Lesná Nature Trail starts right in the village. It is a one-way circular route about 11.3 kilometres long, with ten stops, and is suitable for walkers and cyclists. Its themes include the area’s earlier settlement, features of its natural environment and forest management. The trail combines physical activity with insights into the landscape and its history of use.

The Vodní svět Nature Trail starts beyond Lesná, towards Stará Knížecí Huť, and is about two kilometres long. Its main attraction is a beaver-watching point with a direct view of a beaver lodge. At another pond, a wooden walkway lets you observe aquatic invertebrates and amphibians. The focus here is on bodies of water and their wildlife; these opportunities for observation set the trail apart from the Lesná Nature Trail in terms of theme.

The Sklářství Nature Trail starts in Stará Knížecí Huť. The circular route is about 6.3 kilometres long and has 13 stops. It presents the history of glassmaking, settlement and the nature of the Český les around Stará Knížecí Huť and Huťský rybník. Of the three nature trails described here, Vodní svět is the shortest at around two kilometres, followed by Sklářství and the approximately 11.3-kilometre Lesná Nature Trail. The two circular routes also differ in the number of stops: Sklářství has 13, while the Lesná Nature Trail has ten.

Podkovák and the Peat Bog

To reach the start of the Podkovák Nature Trail, park your car at a turnoff from the forest road on the Lesná–Stará Knížecí Huť road. The turnoff is about 500 metres from Lesná; from there, follow the green hiking trail. The nature trail has been completely renovated, with the boardwalk, benches and bicycle racks replaced. At the end, there is a covered shelter with a view of the peat pools. The route thus combines directions to the protected area with a designated rest stop and a view of the peat bog landscape.

Culture and Cross-Border Routes

St Nicholas Church in Lesná also has a distinctive feature: it contains an iconostasis transferred from an Orthodox chapel in Prague’s Dejvice district. The nature trails cover further historical themes, from earlier settlement and glassmaking to forest management. Their different focuses offer several perspectives on history and nature, without limiting the trails to the same subject.

Two cross-border hiking routes from the area around Lesná offer the opportunity to visit Germany: Přední Zahájí–Waldheim and Křížový Kámen–Kreuzstein. Both names refer to a connection across the border; their stated starting point is the area around Lesná. Together with the local nature trails, they add a cross-border hiking option to the area’s nature and cultural attractions.

Discover more destinations: Vranov U Stříbra, Hošťka, Stříbro, Bezdružice, Zhoř, Studanka, Obora, Staré Sedliště

For the overview of the wider area: Okres Tachov.