The Gratzen Mountains (german: Gratzener Bergland or, more rarely, ''Gratzener Gebirge''; cz, Novohradské hory) are part of the Bohemian Massif and run along either side of the border between the Czech Republic and the Austrian states of

Upper Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found fo ...

and Lower Austria.

Geography

The low mountain range covers an area of about 20 x 30 km and lies roughly within the triangle formed by the towns of České Budějovice, Freistadt and Gmünd. * The Bohemian part of the range, known locally as the ''Novohradské hory'', runs from Nové Hrady (german: Gratzen) – via Benešov nad Černou (German: ''Beneschau'') to Horní Dvořiště (''Oberhaid'') on the Upper Austrian border. * The Austrian part, the ''Freiwald'', runs from Unterhaid/

Leopoldschlag Leopoldschlag is a municipality in the district of Freistadt in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. It is located on the European continental divide between the watershed of the Elbe and the Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once ...

eastwards and crosses near

Sandl Sandl is a municipality in the district of Freistadt in Upper Austria, Austria. Geography Sandl is located in the northeast of Upper Austria in the Austrian part of the Gratzen Mountains. Located in the west of the town centre, the Viehberg, wit ...

– south of the tripoints – the border between

Mühlviertel The Mühlviertel () is an Austrian region belonging to the state of Upper Austria: it is one of four "quarters" of Upper Austria, the others being Hausruckviertel, Traunviertel, and Innviertel. It is named after the three rivers ', ', and '. ...

and Waldviertel districts. There, the

Weinsberg Forest Weinsberg ( South Franconian: ''Weischberg'') is a town in the north of the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It was founded around 1200 and is situated in the Heilbronn district. The town has about 11,800 inhabitants. It is noted for its w ...

branches off, while the main chain swings north to the Tischstein and Nebelstein. In all the summit region approximates the shape of an ellipse and forms the northern boundary of the Granite and Gneiss Highland. Its highest mountain is the Viehberg near Sandl which reaches 1,112 metres, but another 16 mountains exceed 1,000 metres in height. Of these, 13 lie on Austrian soil and 3 in Bohemia. The area of the mountains on the Czech side of the border is 162 km². Their highest point is the Kamenec (''Steinberg'', ) in the Pohorská foothills and in the municipality of

Pohorská Ves Pohorská Ves (german: Theresiendorf) is a municipality and village in Český Krumlov District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 200 inhabitants. Pohorská Ves lies approximately south-east of Český Krumlov, sou ...

. The Freiwald is a major part of the natural region of the ''

Freiwald and Weinsberg Forest Freiwald may refer to the following geographical objects: * the Austrian part of the Gratzen Mountains * Freiwald (Mittelsachsen), a forest near Brand-Erbisdorf Brand-Erbisdorf () is a small town in the district of Mittelsachsen, in Saxony, Ger ...

''. The Lower Austrian part of the Freiwald is defined as a rural subregion (''Teilraum'') according to the conservation concept of the state.http://www.noe.gv.at/noe/Naturschutz/Naturschutzkonzept_Februar_2015.pdf After '' die Wende'', a

nature park A nature park, or sometimes natural park, is a designation for a protected natural area by means of long-term land planning, sustainable resource management and limitation of agricultural and real estate developments. These valuable landscape ...

was established called the ''Novohradské hory'' with many natural attractions like the '' Terčino údolí'', '' Žofínský prales'' (Sophien-Urwald) and '' Hojná Voda'' (Heilbrunn). The region has remained largely unspoilt. As a result of its location on the

Iron Curtain The Iron Curtain was the political boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1991. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its s ...

, the German Bohemians were forced out of the area after the Second World War and it remained inaccessible to tourists. After the border re-opened the trails were waymarked again and tourist infrastructure built. About three quarters of the region is covered in coniferous and deciduous forest. An almost unabating wind builds up in the autumn often into strong gales. In the Gratzen Mountains rise the Lainsitz,

Malše The Malše (german: Maltsch) is a river in Upper Austria and in the Czech Republic, a right tributary of the Vltava. The Malše originates on the north slope of the , near the village of Sandl in Freistadt District, Upper Austria. It flows nort ...

, Pohořský potok, Strobnitz and Schwarzau rivers.

Mountains over 1,000 m

* Viehberg, 1,112 m * Kamenec (''Steinberg''), 1,072 m * Schwarze Mauer, 1,071 m * Tischberg, 1,063 m * Taufelberg, c. 1042 m * Myslivna (''Farrenberg''), 1,040 m * Haubenberg, 1,036 m * Vysoká (''Hochwald''), 1,034 m * Hundsberg, 1,030 m * Ahornstein, 1,019 m * Nebelstein, 1,017 m * Gattringerberg, 1,016 m * Vorderer Schanzer Berg, c. 1,013 m * Hinterer Schanzer Berg, 1,010 m * Sepplberg, 1,004 m * Bärenstein, 1,003 m * Höllberg, 1,000 m

References

External links

www.novohradky.info
{{Authority control Bohemian Massif Nature parks Mountain ranges of the Czech Republic Mountain ranges of Lower Austria Mountain ranges of Upper Austria