The administration of PLA Jeseníky mountains, Šumperská 93, 790 01 Jeseník; tel.no: 584 402 228, tel./fax: 584 403 050
e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ;  http://www.jeseniky.ochranaprirody.cz/
Mountains with forests and rounded ridges, sources of viva aqua flowing down deep valleys, hundred years old virgin forests transferring into the mountain tundra, stone seas, glacial kettles with falling avalanches, wild mountain becks with silver white waterfalls and transparent mossy pools, mysterious moor lands full of legends about dwarfs, flowery mountain meadows and long mountain villages with old cottages fitted into valleys, harmonious nature, in which we try to seek and find inspiration, this is the Jeseníky mountains...

Characteristics:
Protected territory of the Jeseníky mountains is situated on the Northern edge of Moravia and Czech part of Silesia on the border between the Moravian-Silesian and the Olomouc region on the territory of districts Bruntál, Jeseník and Šumperk.
The region includes the Hrubý Jeseník mountains and adjoining parts of Hanušovická and Zlatohorská highlands. The relief corresponds to the ragged mountainous area with deeply cut valleys and long rounded ridges. Geologically is this area formed by mainly acid minerals with low content of nutrients (gneiss, philites). The main representative of soils is the cambium podsoles, in the upper locations there is the majority of humus-iron podsoles, which are sometimes like swamps and moor lands.

Potential vegetation represent flowery and acidic mountain beech wood, in upper locations natural pine grove, alpine phytocoenose and upland moor. Scrub is here the derived evergreen tree species. The absence of scrubs in the original vegetation is one of the reasons for enormous variety of species in some localities of alpine zone. (For example there are listed 450 species of higher plants in Velká kotlina, it is the most abundant botanical locality in the Czech Republic.)
Climatically is the majority of the territory classed into the cold zone, crests belonging to the coldest areas in the Czech Republic. (Praděd has the annual precipitation of 1440 mm and average annual temperature of 0,9°C). An important phenomenon is the anemoorographic system, which took a significant part in the creation of glacial kettles and their flower abundance.

The protected landscape area of the Jeseníky mountains was declared in 1969 on the area of 740 km2. The highest mountain is the top of the Praděd with the altitude 1492 metres above the sea level. The area is covered from 80 % with forests, mainly secondary pine grove or beech wood with mosaic well-preserved rests of natural forests. The most precious area of the protected territory is protected in 4 national natural reservations (Praděd, Šerák – Keprník, Rejvíz, Moorland Skřítek), 18 natural reservations and 6 natural monuments. Their goal is to hand over the landscape and natural heritage in the most preserved condition to future generations.

Basic data:
Area: 740 km2
Geographical orientation: 49° 54´ -50° 18´N, 17° 00´- 17° 24´E
Altitude: 339 - 1492 m (Praděd)
Declared by: The decree of Ministry of Culture of Czechoslovakia no. 9886/1969
Small size areas particularly protected territory in the PLA:
- 4 national natural reservations
- 18 natural reservations
- 6 natural monuments

Further is the national natural reservation Kralický Sněžník and national natural monuments Na Špičáku, Ptačí hora, Rešovské waterfalls, Velký Roudný, Venušiny Misky, Na Pomezí caves and Borový in the scope of the PLA Jeseníky administration.