Bukové kopce

Bukové kopce (Beech Hills) is a small but ecologically valuable nature reserve south of the village of Chlum u Třeboně, in the Jindřichův Hradec district of southern Bohemia. It sits on a gentle rise belonging to the Javořická vrchovina (Javořice Uplands), right along the western edge of the Třeboň Basin — a landscape famous across the region for its dense network of fishponds and extensive forests. The site's approximate coordinates are 48.9217°N, 14.9389°E.

What does the reserve protect?

At the heart of the area lies a surviving fragment of fertile beech forest that has kept its natural character despite being surrounded by commercial forest dominated by conifers. That contrast is exactly what makes Bukové kopce significant: amid the spruce and pine monocultures typical of post-war forestry in the region, a pocket of high-value deciduous woodland has endured.

The main reason for protecting the site is the presence of fertile beech stands with nine-leaved toothwort (kyčelnice devítilistá, Dentaria enneaphyllos) growing in the forest floor. This spring-flowering herb, related to wood anemones, is an indicator of old, well-preserved broadleaf forest with moist, humus-rich soil. Across the Třeboň Basin, where pine forests on poor, sandy soils and wetlands dominate the landscape, this kind of woodland community is genuinely rare — most of the surrounding terrain simply lacks the habitat conditions such demanding understorey species require.

Why is it worth a visit?

The reserve is best visited in spring, when the forest floor turns into a carpet of flowering understorey plants — the moment when the difference between the fertile beech stand and the surrounding commercial forest is most visible. During this early season, the beech canopy still lets enough light through to support shade-loving spring plants before the leaves fully unfold overhead.

The area falls under the management of the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic (AOPK ČR), specifically the administration of the Třeboňsko Protected Landscape Area — one of the oldest and best-known protected landscape areas in the Czech Republic, covering the entire region around Chlum u Třeboně.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the Bukové kopce reserve located? South of the village of Chlum u Třeboně, in the Jindřichův Hradec district, within the boundaries of the Třeboňsko Protected Landscape Area.

What makes this site ecologically valuable? A surviving fragment of fertile beech forest with nine-leaved toothwort in the understorey — a rare forest community within the Třeboň Basin, where pine forests and wetlands otherwise predominate.

When is the best time to visit? In spring, when the understorey plants are in bloom and the beech canopy is still open enough to let light reach the forest floor.

Who manages this protected area? The Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic, through the administration of the Třeboňsko Protected Landscape Area (CHKO Třeboňsko).