Průrva Ploučnice Water channel

Welcome to the village Noviny pod Ralskem. Stop for a moment, take a breath and feel the surrounding nature. Right now, you're standing in front of a place that may look like a natural body at first glance, but it's actually a fascinating testimony about human bravery, hard work, and how nature can sometimes remind us of its limits. Look in front of you at the Ploznice River. Watch her current heading right here into the rock mass. What you see is Průrva Ploučnice, a unique water work that combines a technical idea with the harsh beauty of sandstone landscape. Let us now move together far further back in time, namely into the sixteenth century, probably around the year a thousand and five hundred fifty. Imagine that time, the age of the Renaissance, when people began to rediscover the world, looking for new ways to use the forces of nature to their advantage. At that time there was an ambitious intention. The aim was not to create a tourist attraction but a practical technical device. In this area, it was planned to build a water tank, which was intended to serve as a source of energy for the propulsion of iron hams. Hamr was a key element of the local industry at the time, it was the blacksmith's unit, where huge water-powered hammers shaped iron. For such a machine to function reliably and with sufficient force, a stable and controlled water level was needed. That's why the builders at the time came up with this extraordinary idea. Instead of just crossing the river, they decided to lead her right into the rocks. Now pay attention to what you see around you. Imagine the people who stood here centuries ago. They had no modern machines, no explosions, no electrical wells. Everything you see here was made by hand. They only used simple tools like pickaxe and shovel. They carved two tunnels in hard sandstone, through which the water is flowing today. The total length of these underground corridors exceeds 50 metres. CZECH NOTE: Try to remember how many thousands of pickaxe strikes were used to release every single metre of loose matter in this rock. It was a colossal effort that required great patience and precision. If you look at the hole itself, feel the atmosphere of this place. There's a sense of moisture, a chill of rock, and a constant noise of water looking for a way. Notice how the river enters the stone. It is in this detail that the whole essence of this work is hidden. The architects of this project remained in oblivion, we don't know their names, but their trail here is tangible. They wanted to tame the Ploznice and push it into the rock bed so they could build a tank over the current. However, here begins the most interesting part of this story, which is also a lesson in humility. Even the best human idea can come across the relentless reality of nature. The builders carved the tunnels and led the river into them, but forgot one fundamental feature of the local sandstone. The sandstone is a very permeable material. It basically works like a giant filter or a sponge. The water they were trying to accumulate in the tank simply escaped through the pores in the stone into the surrounding terrain. Although they have made incredible efforts, the tank has never been filled. The whole giant project, the tens of meters of hand-carved tunnels and months of hard work, eventually failed its original purpose. Iron Hamr didn't get his expected power out of this tank. Ironically, however, this failure has created something much more valuable for future generations. Průrva Ploučnice has become a place of mystery and fascination. Since the original technical work became a strange, almost supernatural hole in the landscape, people began to attribute different meanings to it and give it poetic, even scary names. You may have heard by now that this place is called the Infernal esophagus. Imagine how in ancient times people perceived that deep, dark hole into which the river was disappearing, and how easily they remembered the image of hell. Others here heard the thunder of the water, and so they named the place the Thunder Cult. And because at that time people often added unknown or strange phenomena to supernatural beings, the name of the Devil's Hole was also created. It's fascinating how one failed engineering piece turned into a legend. Let's move forward in time to the nineteenth century. At that time, modern tourism began to develop in Europe and people began to seek the beauty of nature and historical curiosity. Průrva Ploučnice has become a popular tourist attraction. Imagine the visitors in the period clothes who came here to experience something unusual. The great attraction was boat rides back then. People were drifting through the current and going straight into these rock tunnels. It must have been an incredible experience, coming from the bright light of the day into the cold, dark bowels of the rock, accompanied only by the sound of dripping water and echoing your own voices. It was an adventure in the heart of sandstone, which at that time attracted many curiosity. Today, boat rides in that form no longer take place, but the value of this place has only increased. In the year one thousand nine hundred ninety-seven, Průrva Ploučnice was officially declared a protected cultural monument of the Czech Republic. By doing so, the state recognised that even if the original intention with the tank failed, the work itself is a unique technical performance of its time and an important part of our history. It is a monument to human endurance and a reminder that nature always has the last word. Now that you know the story of this place, I suggest you take another look at the river and the surrounding rocks. Try to imagine the contrast between the silence of today's landscape and the noise of pickaxe five years ago. Feel the water constantly cutting the walls of the tunnels that the unknown craftsmen cut out. Průrva Ploučnice is not just a hole in the stone, it is a bridge between the Renaissance ambition, the romance of the nineteenth century and our today's heritage protection. I ask you to explore the surroundings in peace now, perhaps try to find the best angles to look into the gap or just enjoy the atmosphere of this special place in silence. Let the sound of water guide you and imagine all the people who have been coming here for centuries. Thank you for coming through the history of Ploznice. I hope this short trip to the past has helped you understand more what you see before you. I wish you a pleasant continuation in discovering the beauty of Novin under Ralsk and in other ways beyond the hidden treasures of our country. Goodbye.