Březina (nature reserve)

Březina is a small but ecologically remarkable nature reserve tucked into the slopes of Bukový vrch, southeast of the village of Kostomlaty pod Milešovkou, right on the boundary between the Teplice and Litoměřice districts. Within a compact area it brings together two very different habitats: an old deciduous beech forest and a living peat bog dotted with floating vegetation islands.

Why was the reserve created?

Březina was established in 1969 by merging two previously separate protected areas — Bukový vrch and the peatland lying at its foot. The main reason for protection is a living peat bog that is unique within the wider Czech Central Uplands (České středohoří), together with the surviving remnants of old-growth beech forest and the unusual mix of plant communities packed into a small footprint.

What can visitors see here?

The heart of the reserve is a stand of mature beeches aged 160 to 170 years, forming a near-primeval old-growth canopy. Right next to it, in the lower-lying parts of the terrain, spreads a young peat bog with two floating islands — a rare natural phenomenon where a mat of vegetation drifts freely on the water's surface. This waterlogged, nutrient-poor environment favors specialized plants: the round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundifolia), a carnivorous plant that traps insects on sticky hairs; the narrow-leaved cotton-grass (Eriophorum angustifolium); and the southern bladderwort (Utricularia australis), another carnivorous species, this one aquatic.

How to get to the Březina reserve

The easiest approach is via the red-marked hiking trail connecting Černčice and Lukov, reachable from the road running between Kostomlaty and Milešov. Along the stretch passing near the reserve, this trail overlaps with the Březina Educational Trail, established in 2009. The trail runs almost entirely through wooded terrain of the Czech Central Uplands and covers roughly seven kilometers in its basic route, with information panels introducing hikers to the natural features along the way, including the bog itself and the old beech stand.

Who manages the reserve?

The area is administered by the Nature and Landscape Protection Agency of the Czech Republic (AOPK ČR), specifically its office responsible for the České středohoří Protected Landscape Area.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a marked trail through the reserve? Yes — the red-marked trail between Černčice and Lukov runs right next to the reserve and partly shares its route with the Březina Educational Trail.

What is the reserve's main natural attraction? A living peat bog with two floating vegetation islands, a rarity in this part of the Czech Republic, along with an old beech stand aged 160–170 years.

When was the reserve established? In 1969, through the merger of two previously separate protected areas: Bukový vrch and the peatland at its base.

What rare plants grow here? The round-leaved sundew, narrow-leaved cotton-grass, and southern bladderwort — species typical of nutrient-poor, waterlogged peat bog habitats.