Na požárech

Na požárech is a small but ecologically remarkable national natural monument tucked away southwest of the village of Lesná in the Tachov district, right along the German border, within the Český les Protected Landscape Area. It is the kind of site that rarely makes it onto a typical sightseeing map, yet it preserves a type of landscape found almost nowhere else in the Czech Republic.

What will you find there?

The site is a mosaic of interlocking habitats: waterlogged peatland meadows, sedge fens, reed beds, transitional bogs and raised bogs, interspersed with pioneer stands of trees slowly encroaching on what were once open grasslands. This variety packs nearly 300 species of vascular plants into a relatively small area, dozens of which are rare and legally protected.

The botanical star of the reserve is the bog willow (Salix myrtilloides), a tiny, dwarf shrub that grows in only four known locations across the entire Czech Republic. The peatland is also home to a population of the false ringlet butterfly, a species that in the Czech Republic otherwise survives only in the Šumava mountains.

Why does this place matter?

The landscape's history is closely tied to the fate of the surrounding villages. Before the village of Jedlina was abandoned after the Second World War, local farmers grazed cattle on these meadows and dried hay here, and this regular mowing and grazing kept the land open. The postwar expulsion of the German-speaking population and the subsequent closing of the Iron Curtain ended traditional land use almost overnight, and the meadows began to gradually overgrow with scrub and trees. It was only in 1992 that the site's exceptional natural value was recognized and it was declared a national natural monument.

The peatland once supported a population of black grouse, with 40 to 50 birds recorded here as late as the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, the reopening of the border crossing at Jedlina after the fall of the Iron Curtain, and the increased human activity that followed, contributed to the disappearance of this already fragile population.

Visiting the site

The reserve is managed by the Nature and Landscape Protection Agency of the Czech Republic, which carries out ongoing conservation work here, clearing encroaching trees and shrubs and mowing to prevent the valuable peatlands from disappearing under woody growth. A trail has been laid out for visitors so they can observe this unusually northern-looking landscape without stepping onto the fragile bog habitats themselves.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is Na požárech located? Southwest of the village of Lesná in the Tachov district, close to the German border, within the Český les Protected Landscape Area.

Can visitors walk freely around the site? Because the peatland habitats are so sensitive, visitors are encouraged to stick to the marked path and follow the rules in place for this national natural monument.

What is the site's biggest natural highlight? The nationally unique bog willow and the false ringlet butterfly population, along with the rare landscape of transitional and raised peat bogs.

When is the best time to visit? Summer months offer the most rewarding views of the peatland vegetation in bloom.