Czech it out: World's longest suspension footbridge opens in Bohemia

A Bohemian bridge in the foothills of the Jeseniky Mountains will break records next month, at the attraction thrillseekers will want to Czech out.

The Sky Bridge 721 is named for its length in metres. It's a number the bridge wears with pride.

When it opens next month it will become the longest suspension foot bridge in the world. Beating the current record held by Nepal's 567-mete-long Baglung Parbat bridge, the Sky Bridge dwarfs New Zealand's longest leap at the 141m Maramataha Bridge in Manawatu.
However the other statistics are equally dizzying.

The precarious path hangs at 95 metres above the Mlýnické Valley in the Dolni Moravia Mountain Resort. With just 1.2 metres width, there's little wiggle room for walkers - who could feel a little exposed on the suspension walkway.

The Czech tourism board describes it as "a unique experience, offering visitors a breathtaking spectacle and adrenalin rush", when it opens to the first walkers in May, 2022.

The region close to the Polish border and the mountain of Kralický Sněžník is also home to other adventurous activities.

Observers can climb the nearby Sky Walk tower, a wooden spiral that rises 55 metres to provide a lookout over Moravia and into neighbouring Poland.

Once up there the quickest way down is a 100 metre toboggan track, followed by a 7km downhill mountain bike trail. Or skis, during the Dolni Morava's winter season.

"It is a unique technical feat in the Czech Republic," the statement said. On the far side of the valley, after crossing the bridge, visitors have the opportunity to explore the history of the area via a new 2km educational nature trail called "The Bridge of Time".

From high up to deep below ground, there's a lot of history buried in the hills.

The mountains are riddled with forgotten fortifications built before the Second World War to repel an invasion by Nazi Germany.

Walkers are treated to "augmented reality components and 10 educational panels covering the topics of environmental protection and the history of Sudetenland [ the borderlands shared with Germany, Poland] in an interactive and entertaining way".