About this place
Polické stěny is a national natural monument spread across nearly 7 km² near the villages of Suchý Důl and Hlavňov in the Náchod district of the Czech Republic. The site falls under the administration of the Nature and Landscape Protection Agency (AOPK ČR) – the Broumovsko Protected Landscape Area authority, and it received its current protected status in 2009, when it was separated from the larger Broumovské stěny National Nature Reserve.
What makes this place distinctive?
The value of Polické stěny lies in its exceptional pseudokarst terrain carved into Cretaceous sandstone. The rock is Turonian in age, made of coarse-grained feldspathic sandstone that erosion has shaped into sweeping rock plateaus and so-called "rock towns" — densely fragmented ridges, isolated rock towers, gorges, canyons, and caves. This landscape type, typical of the wider Broumovské and Polické stěny ridge, results from weathering and water erosion acting on structurally uneven sandstone layers, producing isolated rock blocks separated by deep fissures.
What wildlife lives here?
The area preserves fragments of natural forest ecosystems along with plant and animal communities shaped by the microclimate of the rocky gorges and plateaus. Mammals found here include red deer, roe deer, wild boar, badgers, and other small predators. The forests are home to the endangered capercaillie, and in recent years large predators, including the lynx, have slowly begun returning to the region.
Why is it worth visiting?
Polické stěny combines geological and ecological significance — a place where rock labyrinths, towers, and canyons form a landscape rarely found outside the Table Mountains range straddling the Czech-Polish border. Its proximity to Suchý Důl makes it a convenient starting point for hikers looking to explore rock formations away from the region's busiest tourist trails.
Frequently asked questions
What is Polické stěny? It is a national natural monument in the Náchod district protecting a unique sandstone rock landscape across nearly 7 km².
Since when has the area held its current protected status? It became a national natural monument in 2009, when it was separated from the Broumovské stěny National Nature Reserve.
What rock formations can be seen here? Rock plateaus and "rock towns," fragmented ridges, isolated towers, gorges, canyons, and caves formed in Turonian sandstone.
What animals live in the area? Red deer, roe deer, wild boar, badgers, the endangered capercaillie, and, more recently, the returning lynx.
Who manages the area? The Nature and Landscape Protection Agency (AOPK ČR), through the Broumovsko Protected Landscape Area administration.
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