The Úpské rašelinistě () is a

peat bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muske ...

in the

Hradec Králové Region Hradec Králové Region (, ) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic located in the north-eastern part of the historical region of Bohemia. It is named after its capital Hradec Králové. The region neighbours the Pardubice Region in t ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. It is the largest peat bog in the

Giant Mountains The Giant Mountains, Krkonoše, or Karkonosze (Czech: , , ), are a mountain range located in the north of the Czech Republic and the south-west of Poland, part of the Sudetes mountain system (part of the Bohemian Massif). The Czech–Polish bor ...

Geography

The bog covers an area of . It at an altitude of about , on the Czech-Polish state border. It is located between the mountains

Studniční hora Studniční hora or Studničná hora () is a cumulus mountain in the Giant Mountains in the Czech Republic. With an altitude of , it is the third-highest peak of the mountain range and the entire country. Etymology Both the Czech name and the hi ...

and Luční hora, and the ridge Hraniční hřeben. The peat layer, which partially extends into Poland, reaches a thickness of up to . The area contains peat lakes up to one metre deep, with the largest on the Czech side measuring and the largest on the Polish side covering . Additionally, peat mounds, known as bulty, are present. Water from the moor drains primarily into the

Úpa The Úpa () is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Elbe River. It flows through the Hradec Králové Region. It is long. Etymology The name is of the Illyrian language, Illyrian or Celtic languages, Celtic origin, from the wor ...

River, with a smaller portion flowing into the Bílé Labe River. The Úpské rašelinistě is one of the best-known among approximately sixty peat bogs found on the plateaus of the Giant Mountains. Its characteristics resemble peat bogs in

northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other ge ...

Flora and fauna

The vegetation includes various sedge species, such as grey-leaved sedge (''

Carex canescens ''Carex canescens'' L. (syn. ''C. cinerea'' Poll.; ''C. curta'' Gooden.) is a perennial species of plants in the family Cyperaceae growing in damp forests and wetlands. It is widespread across much of Europe, Asia, Australia, New Guinea, North Am ...

''), bisexual sedge (''

Carex dioica ''Carex'' is a vast genus of over 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex'' may ...

''), as well as mosses and other wetland plants. Several glacial relicts also thrive here, including cloudberry (''

Rubus chamaemorus ''Rubus chamaemorus'' is a species of flowering plant in the rose family. Its English common names include cloudberry, Nordic berry, bakeapple (in Newfoundland and Labrador), knotberry and knoutberry (in England), aqpik or low-bush salmonberry ( ...

''), Krkonoše lousewort (''

Pedicularis sudetica ''Pedicularis sudetica'', common names of which are fernweed, Sudeten lousewort, Sedetic lousewort, and Sudetic lousewort is a species of flowering plant in the family Orobanchaceae which is native to Poland, the former Czechoslovakia, and northe ...

''), and Lindberg's sedge (''Carex lindbergii''). The fauna includes: * Mammals: Marsh vole (''

Arvicola amphibius The European water vole (''Arvicola amphibius'') or northern water vole is a semi-aquatic rodent. It is often informally called the water rat, though it only superficially resembles a true rat. Water voles have rounder noses than rats, deep brow ...

''). * Insects: Hydroporus nivalis (a species of diving beetle), Patrobus assimilis (a ground beetle), Oligotricha striata (a caddisfly), and Dasypolia templi (a moth species). * Spiders: '' Arctosa alpigena lamperti'' (a wolf spider species) and '' Bolyphanthes luteolus'' (a tarantula species). * Dragonflies: Alpine stilt (''Somatochlora alpestris'') and

azure hawker The azure hawker (''Aeshna caerulea'') is one of the smaller species of hawker dragonflies, (family Aeshnidae). The flight period is from late May to August It is about 62 mm long. Both sexes have azure blue spots on each abdominal segmen ...

(''Aeshna caerulea''). * Birds:

black grouse The black grouse (''Lyrurus tetrix''), also known as northern black grouse, Eurasian black grouse, blackgame or blackcock, is a large Aves, bird in the grouse family. It is a Bird migration, sedentary species, spanning across the Palearctic in m ...

(''Lyrurus tetrix''),

bluethroat The bluethroat (''Luscinia svecica'') is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now known to be an Old World flycatcher, in the family Muscicapidae. It, and similar small European spe ...

(''Luscinia svecica'') and

dunnock The dunnock (''Prunella modularis'') is a small passerine, or perching bird, found throughout temperate Europe and into Asian Russia. Dunnocks have also been successfully introduced into New Zealand. It is the most widespread member of the acce ...

(''Prunella modularis'').

Protection

The Úpské rašelinistě is part of Zone I of the

Krkonoše National Park Krkonoše National Park (, abbreviated as KRNAP) is a Protected Areas of the Czech Republic#National Park, national park in the Liberec Region, Liberec and Hradec Králové Region, Hradec Králové regions of the Czech Republic. It covers most of ...

, and is also listed on the

List of Ramsar Wetlands of International Importance Ramsar sites are protected under by the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific, and r ...

as part of the'' Krkonošská rašeliniště'' site, which has a total of . Entry into the area is prohibited, but a blue-marked hiking trail passes through it between

Luční bouda Luční bouda (; ) is a mountain hotel in the Giant Mountains in the Czech Republic. The Luční bouda, which has existed in various forms since the 17th century, is the oldest mountain hut on the Giant Mountains ridges and one of the largest in ...

and the former Obří bouda.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Upske raseliniste Ramsar sites in the Czech Republic Geography of the Hradec Králové Region Bogs of the Czech Republic Trutnov District