Pravčická brána is a natural sandstone arch located in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park (České Švýcarsko) in the Czech Republic, near the border with Germany. It is recognized as the largest natural sandstone arch in Europe and is a prominent landmark of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains.
The dimensions of the arch are approximately 26.5 meters in span at the base, with an internal height of 16 meters. The bridge is 7 to 8 meters wide, and the top of the formation reaches an elevation of 21 meters above its floor. Geologically, the structure is composed of Turonian sandstone.
The site became a popular tourist destination in the 19th century. In 1881, Prince Edmund Clary-Aldringen commissioned the construction of the "Falcon’s Nest" (Sokolí hnízdo), a chateau built into the rock face adjacent to the arch, which originally served as a hotel and currently houses a restaurant and a museum dedicated to the national park.
To prevent accelerated erosion and preserve the structural integrity of the formation, public access to the top of the arch was permanently prohibited in 1982. The landmark was declared a National Natural Monument in 1963 and remains one of the most protected geological sites within the Czech Republic.
