Thousand Stone Audio guide

Rock overhang in the Polomené Mountains

Thousand Stone is a large sandstone overhang in the northwestern part of the Kokořínsko Protected Landscape Area - Máchův kraj, in the cadastral area of Tuhanec near the village of Tuhaň. It belongs to the rugged landscape of the Polomené Mountains, which are part of the Ralsko Upland. In the surroundings, rocky ridges, towers, pits, and smaller overhangs alternate, mostly covered with pine trees.

Appearance and natural setting

The overhang is about 8 meters high and roughly 30 meters long. It is marked by sandstone solution grooves and honeycomb patterns, shapes formed by the long-term weathering of the rock. Similar formations are fairly common in this part of Kokořínsko and create a landscape that was used only to a limited extent for centuries and remained outside the main transport routes.

Historical context

According to tradition, the name Thousand Stone refers to the time of the Thirty Years' War and the Counter-Reformation. It is likely that people from nearby villages hid here, seeking safety from military units or religious pressure. In calmer times, the overhang served as shelter for shepherds in bad weather. In the twentieth century, tramp campers took a liking to the place and used it as a bivouac. Thousand Stone clearly shows how the same natural feature could serve entirely different purposes in different eras.

Today, it is accessible by a marked side path from the green hiking trail below Vlhošť. Other notable rock formations are also nearby, such as Krápník, Stříbrný vrch, or Husa. Thousand Stone is therefore not only a geological curiosity, but also part of the wider cultural and landscape whole of northern Bohemia.