Psí kostel

Dog Church or Hus Churches… one of the largest sandstone caves in Ralsko.

Site Description

Psí kostel (Dog church), also called Husovy kostely (Hus’s churches), is one of the largest sandstone caves in Ralsko, and it certainly resembles a natural cathedral. The low stone rooms are supported by rock pillars, the biggest of which resemble an hourglass. The caves are connected by corridors that have a total of eighty meters! You can comfortably enter Psí kostel from above through seven openings, you just have to bend your neck a little. From below under the rock formation, the windows of this cathedral look completely impregnable!

This was probably the reason why, according to literary sources, the leader of the Ippert bandits and deserter of the imperial army, Macek, hid here (in vain, as he was captured), and it was here that he was captured. Over one hundred years ago, Psí kostel was a popular excursion destination. The fire-marked walls and the black cobwebs testify to the fact that hikers still like to sleep here today.

Data

Locality

Česko

Terrain difficulty

2 / 5

Time required

2 hours.

Elevation difference

60 m

What will you see here?

Psí kostel

Several cave rooms with a view of the valley below

Psí kostel

Overhangs and recesses

Psí kostel

Rock columns shaped like an hourglass

Do you know that...

Psí kostel is shrouded in several mysteries. Even the origin of the cave is unclear: according to one theory, these are natural cavities that were probably expanded by humans in the Middle Ages. Other experts claim that the entire cave was formed at the end of the Ice Age by exclusively natural processes. As for its name, it is probably derived from the German word “Hundskirche”, Hund meaning dog and kirche meaning church. The cave is sometimes also called Hus’s church, which probably came from the conversion of the German word Hunds to Hus.

For Curious Minds

Zatím tu nemáme nic ke stažení.

How to Reach Us

On foot from Hradčany (blue and green tourist trails); then, you can continue to Provodín or Staré Splavy. There is also a cycle route (Hradčany-Provodín) near Skalní brána (rock arch), from which you can turn towards Psí kostel and the nearby Skalní brána, but you will probably end up pushing your bike here.

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