Bohemian Switzerland After the 2022 Fire: What Changed, What's Open and Is It Safe?

In July and August 2022, the largest forest fire in modern Czech history burned about 1,060 hectares of Bohemian Switzerland National Park around Hřensko, plus 113 hectares on the German side. Nobody died, Pravčická Gate and the Falcon's Nest survived, and the Gate reopened on 1 October 2022. In 2026 the park is open and safe to visit: the main trail to Pravčická Gate, the Wild Gorge and (since 2025, in guided mode) Edmund's Gorge are open, while the Gabriel Trail between the Gate and Mezní Louka remains closed. A smaller fire in May 2026 burned about 20 hectares in the east of the park, away from the main sights.

I walk through the burned forest with guests most weeks. People often expect something sad; what they find instead is one of the most fascinating things to see in the park — a forest regenerating on its own.

What happened in 2022

• When: the fire started on the night of 23–24 July 2022 in Malinový důl, on the slope above Hřensko, and was declared fully extinguished on 12 August 2022.
• How big: about 1,060 ha in Bohemian Switzerland National Park and about 113 ha in Saxon Switzerland across the border — the largest forest fire in the Czech Republic's modern history.
• The response: around 6,000 firefighters, professional and volunteer, took turns over three weeks, with up to about a thousand on site at a time. Firefighting aircraft came from Italy and Sweden and helicopters from the Czech police and army, Poland and Slovakia.
• Damage: several houses burned in the village of Mezná, and residents of Hřensko and nearby settlements were evacuated for almost three weeks. There were no deaths.
• The cause: still unknown. A suspect was arrested in 2023 but was finally acquitted in 2026; the court said the fire could have been started deliberately, by negligence or by visitors. The park itself says the culprit will probably never be identified.

Smoke rising from the forest near Hřensko at the start of the July 2022 wildfire

Why it burned so fiercely

Before the fire, the bark beetle outbreak of 2018–2021 had killed large areas of planted spruce across Central Europe, including here. After a dry spring and a heatwave, the forest was extremely dry. Some local politicians blamed the national park for leaving dead trees standing; scientists and an analysis for the Ministry of the Environment concluded that the fire burned through all types of stands, that very dry soil on clear-cuts helped it spread, and that removing the dead wood would not have stopped it.

How the forest is recovering

The park chose non-intervention on most of the burned slopes: no clear-cutting and no replanting. Standing dead trunks shade the ground and keep it moist, give shelter to birds, insects and bats, and hold the rocky slopes together — cutting them down would loosen boulders above the trails.

The results are visible on every walk:

• Birch, aspen and Scots pine sprang up almost immediately; in places the young trees are already taller than a person.
• Beech is coming back more slowly beneath them. Spruce, which dominated before, is losing out.
• Research by Jan Evangelista Purkyně University (UJEP) published in 2026 found that the burned area is a mosaic — some patches barely touched, others completely burned — and that new forest formed without help almost straight away. A full return to mature forest will still take around a century.

On the trail to Pravčická Gate you walk through exactly this: silver-black trunks, bright green young trees and long views that were hidden by the old spruce forest.

What's open and closed in 2026

Place	Status in 2026
Pravčická Gate (from Tři prameny, red trail)	✅ Open; reopened 1 October 2022. Daily in season, Fri–Sun Nov–Mar.
Mill Path (Mlýnská cesta) from Mezní Louka to the Gate	✅ Open — the alternative to the Gabriel Trail
Falcon's Nest	✅ Survived the fire, open (limited services in winter)
Wild Gorge (Divoká soutěska)	✅ Open, 1 April – 1 November 2026
Edmund's Gorge (Edmundova soutěska)	✅ Reopened July 2025; in 2026, 18 June – 1 November, guided groups from Hřensko only
Gabriel Trail (Gabrielina stezka), Gate – Mezní Louka	❌ Closed since 2022; the park will reassess the slopes around 2027
Red trail through Suchá Kamenice (Elbe Canyon reserve)	⚠️ Restricted
Jetřichovice viewpoints	✅ Open

Details: Pravčická Gate guide · Edmund's Gorge and the Wild Gorge. The park warns that there is a higher risk of falling trees everywhere, and especially in the burned western part — stay on marked trails and don't walk in strong wind.

The May 2026 fire

On 2 May 2026 a new fire broke out in the eastern part of the park, in the forest between Jetřichovice, Rynartice and Dolní Chřibská. More than 500 firefighters and eight or nine helicopters fought it; it was under control by the evening of 4 May. Early estimates spoke of about 100 hectares, later reduced to about 20 hectares.

For a few days, roads and trails around the fire were closed and there was a ban on leaving marked trails. Pravčická Gate, the Wild Gorge and the Jetřichovice viewpoints stayed open the whole time, and within a week only the burned area itself remained closed.

Is it safe to visit Bohemian Switzerland now?

Yes. The marked trails to the main sights are open and regularly checked by the park. Use common sense:

• Stay on marked trails and respect closure tape — it's there because of loose rocks or unstable trees.
• Avoid the forest in strong wind or right after storms.
• Fire rules: no fires, no smoking, no camping and no fireworks anywhere in the park. In dry periods the park can ban entering the forest at night (22:00–6:00) or leaving marked trails; check the current fire-risk level on npcs.cz.
• Check closures on the official park website before you go.

Should the fire change your plans?

Not really — just your route. Use the red trail from Tři prameny or the Mill Path from Mezní Louka to reach Pravčická Gate instead of the Gabriel Trail, and plan Edmund's Gorge as a separate visit from Hřensko. For everything else, see the Bohemian Switzerland National Park guide.

On my Bohemian and Saxon Switzerland Tour we walk through the regenerating forest on the way up to the Gate — and it's often the part of the day guests ask the most questions about.

Frequently asked questions

When was the fire in Bohemian Switzerland?

The big fire started on the night of 23–24 July 2022 near Hřensko and was fully extinguished on 12 August 2022. A much smaller fire burned about 20 hectares in the east of the park on 2–4 May 2026.

How much of Bohemian Switzerland burned?

About 1,060 hectares in the Czech national park and about 113 hectares in Saxon Switzerland in Germany — roughly an eighth of the Czech park's 79 km².

Did Pravčická Gate survive the fire?

Yes. The Gate and the Falcon's Nest chalet were not damaged. The Gate reopened to visitors on 1 October 2022.

What caused the Bohemian Switzerland fire?

The cause has never been established. A suspect was arrested in 2023 but finally acquitted in 2026, and the court said the fire could have been deliberate, negligent or accidental.

Is the Gabriel Trail open?

No. The Gabriel Trail between Pravčická Gate and Mezní Louka has been closed since the 2022 fire because of the risk of falling trees and rocks. The park plans to reassess it around 2027. Use the Mill Path from Mezní Louka instead.

Is it worth visiting Bohemian Switzerland after the fire?

Yes. All the main sights are open, and the regenerating forest — young birches and pines growing among burned trunks — is a remarkable thing to walk through. Many viewpoints are actually more open now than before.