U tří můstků

U tří můstků is a small but ecologically significant protected area in the Novohradské hory mountains in southern Bohemia, close to the Austrian border. It lies in the wide valley of the Pohořský stream, roughly two kilometers northwest of the village of Pohoří na Šumavě, within the municipality of Pohorská Ves. The site is one of four older, small-scale protected areas — alongside Pohořské rašeliniště, Prameniště Pohořského potoka, and Stodůlecký vrch — that overlap with the larger, more recently designated Pohoří na Šumavě protected area. The whole territory also falls within the Natura 2000 network and a designated Bird Area, and lies inside the boundaries of the Novohradské hory Nature Park.

What does this area protect?

The protected subject is a peat bog together with waterlogged spruce forest — a habitat type that is both rare and highly sensitive to any disturbance of local water conditions. This is where one of the richest populations in the entire Novohradské hory range of the white false hellebore (kýchavice bílá pravá) can be found, a plant that depends on consistently moist, peaty ground to survive. The peat layer within the reserve reaches a depth of up to 1.5 meters in places, sustained by numerous groundwater springs emerging along the southern edge of the site. These springs continuously feed the bog with water, maintaining the conditions under which organic matter has been accumulating for centuries.

What is the underlying geology and vegetation?

The peat bog rests on a bedrock of coarse-grained porphyritic biotite granite, a rock type characteristic of the wider geology of the Novohradské hory. On this waterlogged terrain, Norway spruce is overwhelmingly dominant, forming an almost uniform stand typical of montane waterlogged forests in this part of Central Europe. A minor admixture of Carpathian birch, Scots pine, and rowan appears mainly along the margins of the bog and in spots with slightly better drainage. This pattern — a dominant spruce canopy with a scattering of pioneer species — is characteristic of transitional montane peat bogs and boggy coniferous woodlands across the region.

Why does this place matter?

U tří můstků is not a tourist attraction in the conventional sense — it is a protected area valued for its unique ecological qualities rather than for scenic views or historic monuments. Its importance stems from the rarity of its habitat: montane peat bogs combined with waterlogged spruce forest occupy very limited surface area and are particularly vulnerable to drainage, climate shifts, and human interference. The fact that the site belongs to the Natura 2000 network and a Bird Area underscores its significance on a European, not just local, scale. For anyone interested in the natural landscape of the Novohradské hory, this reserve stands out as a well-preserved example of a peat bog ecosystem functioning in close connection with the equally valuable protected areas that surround it.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is U tří můstků located? In the Novohradské hory mountains, within the municipality of Pohorská Ves, in the valley of the Pohořský stream, about two kilometers northwest of Pohoří na Šumavě.

What does this reserve protect? A peat bog and waterlogged spruce forest, including one of the region's richest populations of the white false hellebore.

Is the area part of a larger nature conservation network? Yes — it is one of four older protected areas overlapping with Pohoří na Šumavě, and it also belongs to the Natura 2000 network, a Bird Area, and the Novohradské hory Nature Park.

What vegetation dominates the site? Norway spruce, with a minor admixture of Carpathian birch, Scots pine, and rowan.