DOI: 10.11118/978-80-7701-025-2-0050

BREAKING THE MYTH: THE CHALLENGES FACING CZECH TRAIL DEVELOPMENT

Tomáš Kvasnička¹, Hana Hermová¹

¹ Singltrek, s.r.o., Mšenská 3981/50, 466 04 Jablonec nad Nisou, Czechia

Czech outdoor recreation is trapped. For decades, Czechs boasted about having "the most elaborate and longest network of tourist trails in the world," but this is merely a myth that is also harmful. While no one disputes that outdoor recreation is essential for public health, the actual conditions for recreation in Czechia are slowly deteriorating for various reasons. One of these reasons is that the public service apparatus, on the one hand, creates nearly impossible conditions for permitting close-to-nature trails. Yet on the other hand, it often approves projects that do not align with the principles of sustainable trails. In this article we aim to outline the criteria that public authorities should consider when permitting trail projects to ensure they are successful, long-term sustainable, do not harm nature and the landscape, and bring Czech recreation closer to meeting the demands of the 21st century society.

Keywords: recreational trails, criteria of sustainability, public health, access to the landscape

pages: 50-52, Published: 2025, online: 2025