Borecká Skalka

Borecká Skalka is a small but geologically remarkable nature monument located right next to the village of Borek in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, within the Havlíčkův Brod district of the Vysočina Region in the Czech Republic. Covering just 0.38 hectares, it packs an outsized amount of geological and botanical interest into a tiny footprint.

Why is this place protected?

The reserve exists to protect an outcrop of serpentinite — a magnesium-rich rock with a distinctive greenish tint that was quarried here for decades. Serpentinite weathers into a very unusual, nutrient-poor soil that only specially adapted plants can tolerate, giving rise to what botanists call "serpentine flora."

The most valuable species here is the serpentine spleenwort (Asplenium cuneifolium), a small fern tightly bound to serpentinite substrate and found at only a handful of sites in the Czech Republic. Alongside it grow other drought-tolerant plants adapted to poor, rocky ground, turning the outcrop into a kind of habitat island surrounded by the region's ordinary forests and fields.

A history of quarrying

The quarry at Borek operated from the Second World War until 1992, extracting serpentinite that was used as both a building and ornamental stone. Once mining stopped, the pit gradually filled with water, forming the picturesque flooded quarry that sits right beside the protected outcrop today.

Protection of the site actually dates back much further than the end of quarrying — the area was first placed under nature protection in the 1930s, making it one of the older protected sites in the region, predating most of the country's postwar conservation designations by decades.

The flooded quarry and diving

The adjacent flooded quarry now serves a very different purpose from its industrial past: it hosts an operating diving training center. Clear, deep water and an unusual rocky bottom draw divers from across the region. One of the quarry's quirkiest attractions is an articulated Ikarus bus that was sunk to the bottom in 2003 and remains there in largely original condition, having become something of a local landmark among divers.

What can visitors see?

Above the water, visitors can admire the greenish serpentinite outcrops rising above the surrounding vegetation, a striking contrast against the green landscape. Paths around the reserve allow visitors to walk along both the rocky outcrop and the shore of the flooded quarry, though because the ecosystem here is fragile, it's best explored by sticking to marked trails and leaving the vegetation undisturbed.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Borecká Skalka located? Right next to the village of Borek, in the Havlíčkův Brod district of the Vysočina Region in the Czech Republic.

Can you go diving in the quarry? Yes, the adjacent flooded quarry operates as a diving training center and is known for, among other things, a sunken Ikarus bus resting on its bottom.

What makes the reserve ecologically special? Its rare serpentinite substrate, which supports specially adapted plants, including the rare serpentine spleenwort fern.

How large is the protected area? Just 0.38 hectares, making it one of the smaller but ecologically most concentrated reserves in the region.