The Source of the Elbe

Massive mountain ridges and vast forests, steep precipices and glacial valleys, mountain plateaux, thermal springs, peat bogs and mountain meadows with rare alpine flora – all this is offered by the Krkonoše Mountains, the highest mountain range in the Czech Republic. Popular destinations for excursions include Sněžka moutnain (1,602 m) and the source of the Elbe River. A structure symbolically marking the source can be found on the Elbe Meadow, situated at an altitude of 1,386 m above sea level; the true source, however, is on higher ground. A stone wall at the site shows the coats-of-arms of Bohemian towns lying along the Elbe. Did you know that water emerging from the source travels 1,154 km before it reaches the North Sea?