Description of the attraction
To the north of the town of Gmünd is the unique natural park Blockheide, founded in 1964 at the suggestion of the Austrian sculptor Karl Hermann and very popular with tourists. These places, as if descended from the engravings of the romantics of the 19th century, were inhabited even in the Neolithic era. Ancient people who lived here many centuries ago left behind unique painted ceramics.
Blockheide Park is famous for its numerous rock formations, huge rounded boulders, picturesquely located along paths, in meadows with green grass or lost in coniferous forests. Each such entity has its own name. Some scholars believe that during the Middle Ages, these stones served for sacred purposes. However, most researchers agree that this theory is untenable and originates in the era of the birth of romantic historicism, that is, at the end of the 19th century.
The landscape of the Blockheide Natural Park is not homogeneous. Here you can see small fields used for growing crops, and meadows for grazing livestock, and mixed forests. And in the most unexpected places, granite blocks overgrown with moss rise. These are the remains of the former high Varis mountain range, formed in the Paleozoic. The bizarre stones got their names. So, here you can see the Pyramids, the Mushroom Stone and even the Loaf of bread.
Blockheide Park has a tall wooden observation tower, from the top of which you can enjoy beautiful views of the surrounding area. In good weather, you can even see the neighboring Czech Republic.
