The real Chernarus: DayZ locations in Czechia

Chernarus, the map of Arma 2 and DayZ, is not an invented country in Eastern Europe. It is the Central Bohemian Uplands between Ústí nad Labem and Děčín in Czechia, where Arma 2 lead designer Ivan Buchta grew up. The river Elbe became the game’s sea coast. Here are 2 monuments from the game you can visit.

We separate what the developers themselves confirmed (documented) from what only fans who travelled the real Chernarus have matched (not documented).

Central Bohemian Uplands – between Ústí and Děčín

The Blansko ruin and Lipová are about 2 km apart above the Elbe valley north-east of Ústí nad Labem.

• Blansko Castle in the game: Zub Castle documented
  The ruined Zub Castle on a hill above the valley is one of the best-known spots on the Chernarus map. Arma 2 lead designer Ivan Buchta said in a 2012 interview that his family hiked these hills when he was a child and some favourite destinations made it into the game – among them the Blansko ruins, which became Zub.
• St Martin’s Church, Lipová in the game: Stary Sobor not documented (page in Czech)
  Stary Sobor is one of the villages in the interior of the Chernarus map. Fans who travelled the real Chernarus identify it with Lipová near Blansko. The developers have not confirmed this.

More places that are not monuments

• The pond near Mírkov – according to Buchta, the model for the Ozerko pond near Mogilevka; fans identify Mogilevka with Mírkov below Blansko.
• Skrytín – the ruins of an old youth camp with a concrete building and an empty swimming pool became the village of Tulga.
• Jílové near Děčín – the valley in the north-west of the map near the fictional Devil’s Castle.
• The Cukrák transmitter near Jíloviště, south of Prague – the model for the Green Mountain tower. The developers also borrowed some buildings from elsewhere in Czechia, such as a fire station from south of Prague.

Sources: interview with Ivan Buchta (Kill Screen, 2012), a fan trip through the real Chernarus (DayZ Underground).

Be a considerate visitor

Blansko is a freely accessible ruin on a hilltop reached by a marked forest trail. The other places are inhabited villages – park only in marked spaces and keep off private land.

Pamatky.cz is not an official Bohemia Interactive project. Game names are used only to identify the places. Updated 29 October 2026.