Děčín is located in northwestern Bohemia at the confluence of the rivers Elbe and Ploučnice (Czech: Labe). The Elbe having cut through the soft sandstone mountains of the region, the town lies in the transition zone between Bohemian Switzerland and the Lusatian Mountains in the north and the Central Bohemian Uplands in the south. It is actually made up of two towns, one on either side of the Elbe River; the old town of Děčín is on the right bank, and on the left bank is Podmokly (German: Bodenbach), which was incorporated in 1942. The town’s elevation of 135 metres (443 ft) is one of the lowest in the country. Nearby is an important border crossing of the Elbe Valley railway leading to Dresden, with Děčín station at about 83 minutes north of Prague by rail.
Děčín Castle is probably the most popular tourist attraction in the town. Built on a hill near the town centre and overlooking the Labe river, the castle has enjoyed an extremely varied history. It has gone from being a fort during the Seven Years’ War, to becoming a Renaissance castle in 1673, to turning Baroque after its restoration in 1788. Once the home of Bohemian kings (having been built by order of Premysl king Václav III) the castle has since functioned as the administrative centre of the Thuns and even as a military garrison for German and Soviet troops after being handed to the Czechoslovak state in 1932.
In the river Labe near the left bank there stands a 6 m2 (64.58 sq ft) basalt stone which is only visible when water levels are low, which usually means the region is suffering from drought. The stone is known as the Hunger Stone, because in olden times, when it appeared, all boat traffic on the river came to a halt, and people suffered as a result. The lowest water levels have been marked on the stone since 1417, and the markings from 1616 on are still readable. The stone carries the inscription “If you see me, then cry”.
