Hádecká planinka

Hádecká planinka is a national nature reserve south of Brno, straddling the cadastral boundary between the Maloměřice district of Brno and the village of Kanice in the Brno-venkov district. The reserve covers roughly 83 hectares and forms part of the wider Moravský kras (Moravian Karst) Protected Landscape Area. It sits in the southern part of the Hádecká plateau, between Brno and Bílovice nad Svitavou, right next to the well-known Hády quarry.

Why was the area protected?

The site has held protected status since 1950, when the then Ministry of Education, Science and the Arts declared it a state nature reserve. Protection was granted because of the forest and forest-steppe plant communities preserved here, typical of the southernmost part of the Moravian Karst, along with the protected and endangered plant and animal species that live among them. The bedrock itself also hides numerous surface and underground karst features.

What lies in the rocks of Hádecká planinka?

The geological base of the reserve consists of Devonian and Lower Carboniferous limestones, known locally as the Hádsko-Říčské and Křtinské limestones. These rocks are unusually rich in fossils: researchers have documented ostracods, brachiopods, trilobites, corals, cephalopods and conodonts within them. This makes Hádecká planinka a site of interest not only for nature lovers but also for palaeontologists and geologists, who can trace the history of the ancient sea that once covered this area during the Palaeozoic era.

Landscape and terrain

The reserve covers part of the karst plateau together with a slope that borders Hádecká planinka on the side of the Ochozské plateaux, which in turn connect to the grounds of the Hády quarry. This combination of rocky elevation, woodland and former quarrying land produces a varied landscape, alternating between exposed rock outcrops, forested slopes and steppe-like grasslands.

How does the reserve connect to Kanice?

Part of the reserve's territory lies within the cadastral area of Kanice, a small village northeast of Brno. Kanice, together with nearby Bílovice nad Svitavou, is one of the most convenient starting points for hikes across the plateau toward Brno and the Hády quarry. The surroundings of Kanice serve as a gateway to numerous hiking trails and nature trails running through the Moravian Karst area.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hádecká planinka? It is a national nature reserve protecting forest and forest-steppe communities together with karst phenomena in the southernmost part of the Moravian Karst, near Brno.

Since when has the area been protected? It has held nature reserve status since 1950.

How large is the reserve? The reserve covers approximately 83 hectares.

What fossils can be found in this area? The Devonian and Lower Carboniferous limestones contain ostracods, brachiopods, trilobites, corals, cephalopods and conodonts.

How do you reach Hádecká planinka from Kanice? The reserve borders the cadastral territory of Kanice, from where hiking trails lead toward the plateau and the nearby Hády quarry.