Posted by Usti nad Labem is a city of just under 100,000 in the north of the Czech Republic. The city does not attract too many tourists.
The city, formerly called Aussig on the Elbe, was rebuilt after World War 2. Many concrete and prefabricated buildings dominate the cityscape today. Nevertheless, quite a lot of Germans come to Usti. One reason is certainly the close border with Saxony, the distance from Dresden to Usti nad Labem is only about 70 kilometers. The distance can be covered by car as well as by train in a good hour.
Usti nad Labem is, as the name suggests, on the Elbe River. “Nad Labem” translated means “on the Elbe”. The sights are mainly outside the city. The Elbe Valley attracts many tourists not only on the German side of the border, but also on the Czech side.
Quite a few are hikers or travel by bicycle. Some of the cycling tourists come to Usti nad Labem for a few hours or a day.
Sights in Usti nad Labem
The city center is partly characterized by the socialist architectural style. Besides the two larger churches and the interesting museum of the city of Usti, many tourists are attracted to the Elbe River. The river runs almost directly in the city center behind the main railway station. The new cable car across the Elbe to a small castle is popular. Tourists also visit the Usti nad Labem Zoo and the new Forum shopping center in downtown Aussig.
The Museum of the City of Usti nad Labem: The large museum of local history is one of the most important sights of the city. In the last 150 years the museum of Usti had to move very often. Now, since 2011, it has found a beautiful building in the city center.
A main focus of the local museum is natural sciences, especially geological collections, plants and animals from the whole north of the Czech Republic to the Ore Mountains. But also, for example, the sections on local archaeology, history of the city of Usti (formerly Aussig) and the industry and technology of the region are very informative. Overall, the museum of Usti nad Labem belongs to the best local museums in all of Bohemia.
The zoo of Usti nad Labem: From the city center and the main train station it is only about 1.5 to 2 kilometers to the entrance of the large and beautiful zoo of Usti nad Labem. The zoo can compete with a medium-sized zoo in Germany, but the entrance fee is much cheaper: Our page about the zoo of Usti nad Labem
The cable car to Vetruse Castle: The beautiful building on the other side of the Elbe River is easily visible from the city center.
The ride by cable car over the Elbe to the sight Zámek Větruše is worth it just for the view of the river Elbe and the city from the cable car. The ride takes only a few minutes, and the fare is less than one euro.
The Forum shopping center: In the middle of downtown Usti nad Labem, a large shopping center Forum was built a few years ago with nearly 100 stores, restaurants, modern cinema, etc. The prices are a bit lower than in Germany, this is especially true for the gastronomy. Some people from Saxony come to the Forum on Sunday for shopping, because the shopping center is also open on Sunday. More information about the shopping center Forum in Usti
The Elbe: The Elbe flows through the middle of Usti nad Labem, right behind the main train station. There are two motorway bridges, a railroad bridge and a cable car (see above) over the river.
Especially beautiful for nature lovers and hikers is the Elbe Valley north of Usti before the border with Germany. There are 2 national parks there, which are connected with each other: Bohemian Switzerland National Park in the Czech Republic and Saxon Switzerland National Park in Germany (Saxony).