Jezero Horusice

Lake Horusice (Czech: Horusický rybník) ranks among the largest man-made ponds in the Czech Republic, with a water surface of 415 hectares that puts it in third place nationwide. It sits within the village district of Horusice, part of the town of Veselí nad Lužnicí in the Tábor district, inside the northern section of the Třeboňsko Protected Landscape Area.

When and why was the pond created?

The pond dates back to 1511–1512, when it was built on the initiative of Štěpánek Netolický, the fishmaster credited with much of the interconnected network of fishponds around Třeboň. The reservoir was dammed on the Bukovský stream, and it also receives water from the Zlatá stoka (Golden Canal), a 16th-century water-management channel that forms part of the same historic engineering system.

What does the dam look like?

A 714-metre-long, 11-metre-high dam encloses the pond, planted along its length with mature oak trees. A road connecting Veselí nad Lužnicí and Třeboň runs along the top of the dam, so the lake unfolds in view for anyone driving or cycling that stretch.

What is the pond used for today?

Fish farming remains the primary purpose of Lake Horusice, as it does for most reservoirs in the Třeboň pond system, with carp as the main species raised here. Alongside that working role, the lake also draws recreational visitors: people swim in it during summer, and its open water and surrounding roads attract walkers and cyclists.

Is there anything of natural interest nearby?

The southern shore holds the Ruda nature reserve, a 15-hectare area of spring-fed peatlands supporting rare and endangered plant species. Together with the pond itself, the reserve forms part of the wider Třeboňsko landscape, protected for its distinctive network of ponds and wetlands and valued as a habitat for waterbirds.

How does Lake Horusice differ from the nearby Horusická pískovna?

The two are separate bodies of water in the same area and are easy to confuse. Horusická pískovna is a former sand and gravel pit that later filled with water, considerably smaller and with a different shoreline character. Lake Horusice (Horusický rybník), by contrast, is a large historic fishpond, one of the biggest in the country, with an entirely different origin and scale.

Frequently asked questions

How large is Lake Horusice? Its water surface covers 415 hectares, making it the third-largest pond in the Czech Republic.

When was the pond built? It was constructed between 1511 and 1512 at the initiative of fishmaster Štěpánek Netolický.

Can you swim there? Yes, alongside its main role as a working fishpond, the lake is also used recreationally in summer, including for swimming.

What runs along the dam? The 714-metre, 11-metre-high dam is lined with old oak trees, and a road from Veselí nad Lužnicí to Třeboň runs along its top.

Is there a nature reserve nearby? Yes, the 15-hectare Ruda reserve lies on the southern shore, protecting spring-fed peatlands with rare and endangered plant species.