The Czech Republic's dark-sky parks, heaven for stargazers, are becoming endangered

The Jizera Mountains were declared a protected nature reserve in 1968 due to their unique flora and fauna. However, whenever a cloudless night appears above the landscape, the mountains unveil yet another treasure – the night sky strewn with stars.

Under the open night sky in Orle, Jizerka, or Rozdroz Izerski, visitors can see thousands of stars overhead, as well as the beautiful silvery strip of the Milky Way. But not for long, say environmentalists.

Established in 2009 and located in an almost uninhabited part of the Jizera Mountains, the Jizera Dark Sky Park (in Czech “Jizerská oblast tmavé oblohy” and in Polish “Izerski park ciemnego nieba”) is the first international dark sky park which occupies the territory of more than one state. It takes up an area of just under 75 km².

In the Czech Republic, it stretches from the Jizerka settlement and over Mount Smrk. In Poland, it continues along the High Jizera Ridge and embraces the Great Jizera Meadow and the Orle settlement. It is among the first of its kind in Europe.

There are about 80 such areas worldwide, many of them in the USA and Canada. In Europe, about 30 of appeared in the past years, including the the Manetin Dark Sky area in West Bohemia, established in 2013 and 2014.

The Dark Sky Park in the Beskydy Mountains of Northern Moravia, on the ridge of Grun at an altitude of 880 meters, near the village of Staré Hamry, also offers exceptionally good visibility of the stars and the Milky Way from its star observatory.