Location: between Šluknov and Frýdland area, along the border line. The western part of the area is in the Ústí nad Labem region, the eastern part in the Liberec region.
The Lusatian Mountains are a watershed for the North and Baltic seas and also represent a marked meteorological divide. Marked changes in weather on the northern slopes are often inverted to the Šluknovská Uplands and the Žitava Basin and on the southern slopes, the Česká lípa part of the Lusatian Mountains.
Basalt and phonolite mountains alternate here with bizarre sandstone rock formations, unbroken forests extending through the diverse submontane meadows with a wealth of game refuges, hedges and solitary trees, and Lusatian architecture, which has been preserved in many places.
Nowadays, pine is predominant in the forests although in some difficult to reach and isolated places, the remnants of the original forest growth have been preserved (beech, fir, maple and elm). In Bohemia, at this height above sea level, the only oak forest can be found on the Klíče Peak (748 meters). Century-old yews grow in the municipality of Krompach.
Endangered species of orchid can also be found within the territory.
An interesting project here concerns international nature trails in the Lusatian Mountains and Žitavské Mountains. These were created in cooperation with the administration of the protected landscape area of the Lusatian Mountains and the Center for Environmental Protection in the Žitavské Mountains. Implementation of the project was facilitated by financial support from the European Community. The course of the nature trails runs from the eastern part of the Lusatian and Žitavské mountains partly along an important geological fault, the Lusatian Fault. There are 27 rest areas with information about the natural environment and cultural points of interest in the region here. The nature trails continue over the Czech-German border at Hrádek nad Nisou-Hartau and Petrovice-Lückendorf.
Area: 267 km²
Height above sea level: 313 meters
793 meters (Luž)