Meandry Svratky u Milov

Meandry Svratky u Milov (Meanders of the Svratka near Milovy) is a nature reserve protecting a stretch of the upper Svratka River as it winds from the village of Moravské Křižánky, through Milovy, to the edge of České Milovy in the Žďár nad Sázavou district of the Vysočina region in the Czech-Moravian Highlands. The protected area covers just over 60 hectares, spread across the cadastral territories of České Milovy, Moravské Křižánky and Sněžná, at an elevation of roughly 590–603 metres above sea level.

Why does the river bend so sharply here?

North of the Milovský pond, in the flat, waterlogged Milovy basin, the Svratka loses much of its gradient and begins to curl back on itself repeatedly. Over a stretch of barely two kilometres it forms a dense chain of meanders — a river pattern that has been straightened out of existence in most of Central Europe. This rarely preserved, naturally meandering course between Křižánky and Milovy is the very reason the site was placed under protection. Unlike the narrow, fast-flowing streams typical of the Vysočina highlands, here the valley opens wide and the water slows down, carving oxbows, loops and wet meadows into the landscape.

What lives in this stretch of river valley?

The reserve safeguards a mosaic of wetland and aquatic habitats: communities of aquatic macrophytes in both flowing and still water, vegetation on exposed river-mud deposits, tall sedge beds, non-calcareous fen mosses, transitional peat bogs, wet thistle meadows, and the riverside woodland communities that line the valley. This variety of habitats packed into a small area has allowed species to survive here that have disappeared from much of the surrounding farmed and channelled landscape.

Protected animal species recorded in the reserve include the red-necked grebe, the common cuckoo, the common snipe, several butterfly species, the Eurasian wryneck, and the common European viper. The presence of such demanding wetland birds and insects points to the good ecological condition of the marshes and oxbow lakes along this section of the Svratka.

Where exactly is the reserve located?

The meanders lie within the municipality of Křižánky, in the Žďár nad Sázavou district of the Vysočina region, at approximately 49.671°N, 16.091°E. The site forms part of the wider network of protected river landscapes in the Czech-Moravian Highlands, where valleys with an intact meandering course are increasingly rare.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a marked hiking trail through the reserve? The area sits close to popular walking and cycling routes linking Milovy, Křižánky and České Milovy — the surroundings of the Milovský pond and the Svratka valley are a regular stop for hikers and cyclists exploring the trail network of the Vysočina highlands.

What makes a river meander different from a normal river course? A meander is a pronounced, naturally curving bend in a river channel that forms where the terrain has very little slope and the river crosses a flat valley floor. At Svratka near Milovy this pattern has survived in an almost untouched form, which is now unusual on the heavily channelled and regulated rivers of Central Europe.

Why was this particular stretch protected? The main purpose of the reserve is to preserve the unique, naturally winding river channel together with the wetland habitats that depend on it, and the rare plant and animal species they support — species that have largely vanished from straightened, regulated river valleys elsewhere.