Karlštejn National Nature Reserve
Národní přírodní rezervace Karlštejn
A vast national nature reserve in the Czech Karst, renowned for its dramatic limestone canyons, ancient caves, and exceptional biodiversity, offering extensive hiking and nature exploration.

🌲 A significant and ancient nature reserve in the Czech Karst, established in 1955.
🏞️ Spanning 1547 hectares, it surrounds Karlštejn Castle and features dramatic limestone canyons, ancient caves, and diverse flora and fauna.

Why Go

🚶‍♀️ Explore a vast network of marked hiking trails, including the Svatý Jan pod Skalou educational trail.
🦇 Discover unique karst phenomena and numerous caves like Kačák and Karlštejn.
🌸 Encounter rare and endangered plant species such as the Czech pasqueflower and martagon lily.
🦋 Observe diverse wildlife, particularly invertebrates, in thermophilic oak forests and rock steppes.
🔬 A classic area for natural sciences like mycology, entomology, and geobotany, and an important archaeological site.

Nature & Geology

⛰️ Landscape shaped by Devonian limestones, forming canyon-like valleys of the Berounka river and its tributaries.
🌿 Features world-renowned Paleozoic geological profiles and paleontological sites in natural and quarry exposures.
🌳 Diverse ecosystems range from beech forests and oak-hornbeam forests to rock steppes.

Location

📍 Situated north of the Berounka river, between Beroun, Vráž, Mořina, Karlštejn, and Srbsko, within the Central Bohemian Region.

🏆 Recognition

🇪🇺 Awarded the European Diploma for Protected Areas in 2000 by the Council of Europe, reconfirmed in 2020, for its high natural value and effective conservation management.

Tags
nature reservehikingoutdoornatural attractionprotected areakarst