Čertoryje

Čertoryje is a national nature reserve stretching across the municipalities of Kněždub, Tvarožná Lhota and Hrubá Vrbka in the Hodonín district, South Moravian Region, Czech Republic. It lies within the White Carpathians Protected Landscape Area and ranks among the most valuable natural sites in this mountain range.

What is Čertoryje?

The reserve protects a large complex of flower-rich White Carpathian meadows, dotted with solitary oaks, small patches of woodland, springs and wetlands. The core reserve covers roughly 325 hectares at an elevation of 320–442 metres, while the reserve together with its buffer zone extends across nearly 695 hectares. Čertoryje received formal legal protection in 1987.

Why is the area protected?

The site is protected for its unique combination of warmth-loving, steppe-like plant and animal communities typical of White Carpathian meadows. As many as 133 species of vascular plants have been recorded within a single 100 m² plot here — a figure considered a record for the Czech Republic. This exceptional density of species places Čertoryje among the richest meadow habitats in Central Europe.

Orchids as the reserve's calling card

Čertoryje is best known as one of the most important orchid sites in Central Europe. More than 20 orchid species grow on its meadows, putting the reserve among the region's richest locations for this plant family. Blooming meadows interspersed with solitary oaks and small groves give the area a landscape character typical of the White Carpathians as a whole.

How is the land managed and protected?

Efforts to preserve the meadows began as early as 1986, even before the reserve was officially established. Volunteers helped clear encroaching trees and shrubs from the meadows, and regular mowing — the traditional management practice that shaped this landscape over centuries — was restored on the cleared areas. Over fifteen years, this work helped restore more than 40 hectares of flower-rich meadow. The area is managed by the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic (AOPK ČR), specifically its White Carpathians Protected Landscape Area administration.

How can visitors explore the reserve?

Čertoryje is open to visitors year-round, but access is limited strictly to the marked green hiking trail. Leaving the designated path is strictly forbidden, a rule meant to protect the fragile meadow habitats and the rare plant species growing there from trampling and damage.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Čertoryje located? The reserve lies within the municipalities of Kněždub, Tvarožná Lhota and Hrubá Vrbka, in the Hodonín district, inside the White Carpathians Protected Landscape Area.

When was the reserve established? Čertoryje was granted legal protection in 1987, although meadow restoration work had already begun the year before.

How many orchid species grow here? More than 20 orchid species can be found in the reserve, making it one of the richest orchid sites in Central Europe.

Can visitors walk freely across the meadows? No — access is limited to the marked green hiking trail, and leaving the path is prohibited.

How large is the reserve? The core reserve covers about 325 hectares, while the reserve and its buffer zone together span nearly 695 hectares.