Are you familiar with the Střední Poohří region? If not, you’re missing out on a lot.
You’ll find it in northwestern Bohemia, between the Ore and Doupov Mountains, where it stretches along both banks of the Ohře River between, roughly, the cities of Ostrov nad Ohří and Kadaň. Formally, this region doesn’t exist, which is a real shame.
It is a picturesque, rugged landscape full of basalt hills, castle ruins, hidden flower-filled valleys, and extensive orchards. It is also home to an isolated population of the tree snake. This critically endangered snake species is found here far beyond the northern boundary of its continuous range. The tree snake is a symbol of this region, but it is by no means the only rarity—Střední Poohří is, quite simply, incredibly valuable in terms of its natural heritage.
❗️Unfortunately, part of it is also an area with very poor traffic conditions. Thousands of trucks travel daily through the narrow valley—which has obvious limitations—on the I/13 Route heading west, and in towns such as Damice, Stráž nad Ohří, and Boč, this has a rather negative impact on the daily lives of local residents. Walking the entire length of Stráž along the road while avoiding harm to one’s health is extremely difficult.
‼️ Now a new proposal—yet another one—is on the table for the construction of a new three-lane I/13 highway, which is supposed to resolve this situation. Unfortunately, however, this solution would completely destroy the valuable character of the Central Poohří region. The authors of the proposal clearly took traffic and economic criteria into account, but they did not consider the new highway’s impact on nature.
They want to build a three-lane highway in the Střední Poohří valley, part of which would run elevated on large pillars and part of which would be cut into the slopes, which are unstable in many places. Along the route of the planned highway, there are numerous landslide-prone areas where construction could trigger unintended landslides.
On behalf of Refugium, which manages several valuable sites in this area, we firmly believe that the current proposal can still be improved. We certainly do not want to block the construction of a new road—modern infrastructure is undoubtedly needed. However, there are other solutions that are more considerate of the landscape. In our view, the best option is to route the road through a tunnel. This would have a significantly smaller impact on all residents, including wildlife.
For a broader context of the situation, including a description of the problems with the current proposal and an outline of a more suitable alternative, see this article (in CZ), which has just been published in the Fórum ochrany přírody (Forum for Nature Conservation) online magazine. It was written by a team of authors consisting of leading local experts, and Refugium’s founder, Prokop Svoboda, also contributed a small part.
You’ll find it in northwestern Bohemia, between the Ore and Doupov Mountains, where it stretches along both banks of the Ohře River between, roughly, the cities of Ostrov nad Ohří and Kadaň. Formally, this region doesn’t exist, which is a real shame.
It is a picturesque, rugged landscape full of basalt hills, castle ruins, hidden flower-filled valleys, and extensive orchards. It is also home to an isolated population of the tree snake. This critically endangered snake species is found here far beyond the northern boundary of its continuous range. The tree snake is a symbol of this region, but it is by no means the only rarity—Střední Poohří is, quite simply, incredibly valuable in terms of its natural heritage.
❗️Unfortunately, part of it is also an area with very poor traffic conditions. Thousands of trucks travel daily through the narrow valley—which has obvious limitations—on the I/13 Route heading west, and in towns such as Damice, Stráž nad Ohří, and Boč, this has a rather negative impact on the daily lives of local residents. Walking the entire length of Stráž along the road while avoiding harm to one’s health is extremely difficult.
‼️ Now a new proposal—yet another one—is on the table for the construction of a new three-lane I/13 highway, which is supposed to resolve this situation. Unfortunately, however, this solution would completely destroy the valuable character of the Central Poohří region. The authors of the proposal clearly took traffic and economic criteria into account, but they did not consider the new highway’s impact on nature.
They want to build a three-lane highway in the Střední Poohří valley, part of which would run elevated on large pillars and part of which would be cut into the slopes, which are unstable in many places. Along the route of the planned highway, there are numerous landslide-prone areas where construction could trigger unintended landslides.
On behalf of Refugium, which manages several valuable sites in this area, we firmly believe that the current proposal can still be improved. We certainly do not want to block the construction of a new road—modern infrastructure is undoubtedly needed. However, there are other solutions that are more considerate of the landscape. In our view, the best option is to route the road through a tunnel. This would have a significantly smaller impact on all residents, including wildlife.
For a broader context of the situation, including a description of the problems with the current proposal and an outline of a more suitable alternative, see this article (in CZ), which has just been published in the Fórum ochrany přírody (Forum for Nature Conservation) online magazine. It was written by a team of authors consisting of leading local experts, and Refugium’s founder, Prokop Svoboda, also contributed a small part.