Hřensko

Hřensko (Herrnskretschen) is a municipality and village in Děčín District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants. With an elevation of 130 m above sea level, it is the lowest situated municipality in the country. Located on the edge of the Bohemian Switzerland National Park, Hřensko is known for many natural monuments, especially for the Kamenice Gorge and Pravčická brána.

Administrative parts
The village of Mezná is an administrative part of Hřensko.

Etymology
Before the establishment of the village, there was a pub under the Hornichen mountain called Horniss Kraczmer. The possessive adjective gradually distorted (Hörniß-, Herniß-, Herns-) and was then adopted into Czech as Hřen- with the suffix of place names -sko.

Geography
Hřensko is located about 11 km north of Děčín and 27 km northeast of Ústí nad Labem. It lies on the border with Germany and is adjacent to Bad Schandau and Schöna. It lies in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. Most of the municipality lies in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park. The highest point of the municipality is Oltářní kámen at 469 m above the sea.

Hřensko is situated at the confluence of the Kamenice and Elbe rivers, in the Elbe valley. In the municipal territory is located the lowest point of the Czech Republic, which is the Elbe on the border with Germany at 115 m above sea level.

History
Hřensko was established during the 15th century as a trading settlement.

Transport
The I/62 road from Ústí nad Labem to the Czech-German border passes through the municipality. There are two border crossings in Hřensko: the Hřensko / Schmilka road border crossing and the Hřensko / Schöna river border crossing.

Sights
The municipality is a portal to the Bohemian Switzerland National Park. The main attractions in the municipal territory are the Kamenice Gorge and Pravčická brána, the largest natural stone bridge in Europe. They are among the most visited nature tourist destinations in the entire country.

The main cultural landmark of Hřensko is the Church of Saint John of Nepomuk. It was built in the late Baroque style in 1786–1787.

In popular culture
Pravčická brána was featured in the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Notable people

 * Erich Clar (1902–1987), German chemist