The "petrified towns" or "rock towns" rank among the most spectacular natural wonders in northeastern Bohemia. Where are the towns situated? You can find them near the Czech border to the north of the town of Červený Kostelec. They are not, of course, real towns but natural wonders that can hardly be found anywhere in the world. Thousands of tourists and hikers come here every year to see them and there is none of them who would not look astonished at the spires towering high above the trail when walking through the narrow gorges amidst the wild country. We are speaking about the rock areas near Adrspach (Adersbach) and Teplice (Weckelsdorf).
I first heard about them when I was a young boy. My grandmother would often tell me about them because she often passed by when walking to Wambierzyce. I remember her describing the famous "Sugar Cone" spire, the tower called "The Mayor" and other strange rock formations. No wonder that I was desperate for seeing them. I had to wait long but finally my dreams ca me true not long ago.
It was during summer holidays in 1881 when the Czech Teachers' Festival was organized in Nachod. The program also included a trip to the Adrspach and Teplice Rocks to which I was looking forward a lot. The organizers ordered and hired a special train for 400 passengers. When looking out of the window, I could see the mountains becoming closer and closer. I unwittingly recalled a poem by Züngel:

"Oh the mountains, the mountains,
Over yonder,
Standing here as sentinels,
For ages,
To prevent enemies,
From sneaking in,
And stealing the motherland
From us."

When we arrived in Teplice, the excursionists swarmed out of the train saying "hello". On the road outside the train station building there were horse-drawn vehicle waiting for us. Some used them but most of us decided to go on foot as the countryside was very spectacular. We walked easily as we were accompanied by a brass band.After six miles or so, we found ourselves in front of the pub standing on the edge of the rock town. Being cordially welcomed by the local teacher, a Czech native, we had a snack and continued on our way to the rock area. Some people bought some food not to be hungry during the tour. What we saw first were some sandstone boulders here and there as if they were advanced guards protecting the town form enemies. Soon, we came to the famous "Sugar Cone" – a strange spire standing on its tip. The tip is placed in a small pool and flown-around by water. We had a strange feeling when standing close to the Cone as we expected it to fall over in any moment and to crush us with its mighty w eight. It has not happened so far and hopefully, it is not likely to happen in a couple of years to come, but as its tipped base is constantly eroded by the water flowing around and as sandstone is prone to erosion, it is without doubt that the spire will collapse out of the blue without any warning sometime. Not far away from the Sugar Cone to the right is the Echo Point with a small shelter. People employed here to hikers' amusement speak loudly, blow horns and trumpets and fire mortars to trigger the echo. Each word or sound echoes back from the opposite rocks. The first echo is so loud and clear that the hikers stand astonished and surprised. It seems that there is another person standing near the opposite rocks repeating everything that has been said or played. The echoes following the first one are weaker and weaker before they seem to disappear somewhere in the distance. It is a great experience and a must-hear for all future visitors to the rocks. We continued on our way eagerly awaiting further experiences. Our guide started to show us various formations providing us with the related narrations. There are several guides working in the Rock Town. They show hikers the way through this labyrinth and attract their attention to individual natural wonders and rock formations. Walking through the rocks without a guide is not recommended as the hiker can easily get lost. That was why we appreciated his experience and knowledge when he was showing us the Dustbin, the Pulpit, the Drums, the Organ Pipes and other formations. One of the most spectacular rock formation is the "Mayor's Head" towering above the Town as if it was sculpted by a skilled sculptor. The actual town begins with a narrow gate where we were asked to pay an entrance fee. Just behind the gate, we walked on the bottom of a deep and narrow gorge making many stops and standing humbled before the power of nature. We walked across the "Small Square", "Elephant Square", "Long Boulevard", we passed by the "Pyramid", the "Moses' Plates", the "Castle", the "Giant's Tooth", the daring "Devil's Bridge", the "Cathedral Rock" and many others. The guide made us stop at a boulder with a plaque the inscription of which was already illegible. "This is a Thunder Boulder" he said and continued: "Once two Englishmen visited these rocks and wanted to experience a thunderstorm in the mid of the rocks. They were waiting long. One day, when a strong thunderstorm was approaching, they hurried to the rocks to experience it right there. They were walking just along this trail when a bolt of lightning struck the rock spire just above them and knocked off a piece of it - this boulder. Later, it was provided with this plaque. The two Englishmen said that they would never do anything like that - being in these rocks during thunderstorm." After walking across the "Large Square", seeing the Trout and the Press we came to the Silver Spring where we were offered (by several girls) chilly water for refreshment. Almost everybody had a glass of the water and gave a small coin to the children. In a while we were standing in front of a cave with the famous waterfall inside. Although the guide told us several times not to go far inside the cave as the water is splashing there, our curiosity prevailed and all of us rushed in up to the railings. A narrow stream of water was falling down slowly. But suddenly, the guide gave a short whistle informing the man waiting up there that the spectators have gathered in the cave and that the floodgate can be opened. He did it and the mighty stream of water rushed down the cleft making a tremendous rumbling noise. In that moment the cave was filled with spray and splashing water. The sound of the water falling down mingled with the people's scream and laughter when rushing out of the cave. After all the people got out of the cave, the floodgate was closed and the water flew again in a narrow stream waiting for another group of curious visitors to the rocks. Just next to the fall, we could see steep chairs leading somewhere up through a narrow gorge. The stairs led us to the lake nestling up there and surrounded by rocks. Its water was dark and we could see two boats waiting for us on its surface. We embarked and had a short narrated cruise. This lake is a source of water for the waterfall below. Having returned from the lake we relaxed lying on a soft moss. Some people were picking bilberries while others were eating cakes they had taken with them.

The Wayfarer (Pautník) Magazine, 1846

Pages 143-144. From Hirschberske Teplice we got to Schmiedeberk and from there straight away to Adrspach. Schmiedeberk is quite a large mining town with a beautiful St. Ann Church and its mining history dates back to 1148.

It was evening when we arrived in the famous village of Adrspach. The next day, we left the inn and headed to the rock labyrinth that begins just next to it. The first rock formation we could see was the 50-foot-high Sugar Cone standing upside down and being wider at its top than at its base. The labyrinth is full of rock spires and other formations stretching one and half hour lengthways and half an hour across. The spires, walls and other formations tower up to 150 feet and even more. When we walked further it seemed to us that we were walking in the ruins of an ancient town as if we were strolling through narrow streets of Arcona that had sunk into the ocean. When the guide opened a small gate, we walked further on a wet sandy trail. The guide was showing us various formations such as the Echo Boulder, Capuchin, Glove, Alderman, Dustbin, Gallows, the Church in Breslau (Wroclaw), the Pulpit, Pyramid, Mushroom, Castle Ruin, Split Rock, Pug-dog and many others. The guide named one of the formation Emperor Leopold. When we asked him which of the two Leopolds he had in mind, whether Leopold I or Leopold II, he answered "Welchen Sie wullen". Eventually, we came to a beautiful green meadow but then the trail became narrow again as we were getting closer to the waterfall. It was a really spectacular view. When we were standing at the handrail, the water began to rush down with great roaring. The waterfall surpassed the beauty of all the other waterfalls we had seen during this trip. Then we continued to the cave called the Robber's Den (Räuberhöhle) and further through a deep gorge up to the ruin of Althaus in the middle of wild cliffs dating back to the fifteenth century. One legend says that in 1629 a Danish captain with his fancy woman found refuge in these rocks. They were chased by soldiers and suddenly, when one of the soldiers was raising the sword to strike, a bolt of lightning struck him and he fell down from the cliff. There is an inscription in that place saying "Hier strafte fuchtbar Gottes Blitz". Then we returned and hurried to Trutnov to catch the express train to Prague.