Northern lights in Šumava National Park tonight

The Boubín nature reserve protects a remnant of primeval temperate rainforest at 1,100 m on the Šumava plateau. The surrounding open moorland and forest gaps give some of the darkest sky in the Czech Republic - measured at Bortle Class 2 by local astronomers. The road from Vimperk reaches the reserve's car park within a few hundred metres of open hilltop positions. No light sources exist for 30 km in the northern direction toward Germany.

The largest Czech reservoir stretches 44 km along the Vltava River near the Austrian border. The northern shore near Frymburk gives a flat open horizon north across the water. The surrounding hills and forest block any urban glow from the south. In winter the reservoir is quiet, with resort villages largely empty and minimal artificial lighting. A practical and accessible position for aurora watching when Šumava's high plateau is obscured by cloud.

Kvilda is the highest permanently inhabited village in the Czech Republic at 1,065 m. The open moorland around the village gives wide all-sky access. The plateau here is largely deforested due to bark beetle damage and subsequent wind-throw, which has the secondary effect of giving unobstructed sky access that forested Šumava does not otherwise provide. One of the coldest inhabited places in the Czech Republic in winter - temperatures of -20°C are normal - but clear nights are proportionally more frequent than the warmer, cloudier valleys.