Cottage newsSeasonal tips
Thousands of stars overhead, and the dark forest all around
In a town, if you’re lucky, you may see a few hundred stars; in a large city, perhaps only a few dozen. Above the Jizera Mountains, under good conditions, the naked eye can make out around 1,900–2,000. The reason is the low level of light pollution.
The central Jizera Mountains are sparsely populated, with very little artificial lighting, while the mountain ridges partly shield the area from the glow of Liberec, Jablonec and other towns. This is why the Jizera Dark Sky Park, covering almost 75 km², was established here in 2009.
After 20–30 minutes, your eyes adapt to the darkness and the landscape gradually becomes visible in the light of the stars. It is an experience that has become increasingly rare in the densely populated landscape of Central Europe. The darkness of the Jizera Mountains is among the finest you can still experience in the Czech Republic.
All you have to do is step out into the garden…