Velké bahno

Velké bahno is a natural monument located in the Český Krumlov district, in the foothills of the Šumava mountains, within a forest complex known as Blíženský les. The protected area lies roughly 2.5 kilometres south of the village of Černá v Pošumaví, near the settlement of Bližná, and covers 85.76 hectares. It forms part of the Šumava Protected Landscape Area and falls under its administration.

What is being protected here?

The site was designated for protection because of its extensive complex of waterlogged forest – primarily spruce-alder stands at various stages of development, along with several smaller, mostly forested peat bogs and other wetland habitats. The area supports plant and animal species that enjoy special legal protection under Czech nature conservation law. The landscape is shaped by saturated forest stands within the Blíženský les complex, dominated by peatland pine forest, spruce-alder swamp forest, and wet willow thickets fed by meadow springs.

Which species can be found in Velké bahno?

The wet habitats of Velké bahno provide a refuge for a number of rare and endangered plant species. Among those recorded here are grey sedge, ferns from the wood fern family, marsh club-rush, whorled Solomon's seal, and false hellebore. The site is also notable botanically for unusual fungi – naturalist literature mentions the presence of a puffball-family fungus with an atypical fruiting pattern, as well as a small tricholoma-family fungus that grows in damp coniferous woodland.

What does the landscape of Velké bahno look like?

The character of the site is defined by a mosaic of forest wetlands: fragments of transitional and raised bog alternate with peatland pine stands and alder-spruce swamp forest. In the low-lying, spring-fed depressions, groundwater levels remain consistently high, favouring the development of specialised, moisture-loving ground vegetation and mosses. This combination of habitats, rarely found intact elsewhere, accounts for the area's high nature-conservation value.

Where exactly is Velké bahno located?

The site lies in the Český Krumlov region, within the Šumava foothill belt, in the lightly populated, heavily forested part of southern Bohemia near the Austrian border. The nearest landmark is the village of Černá v Pošumaví, about 2.5 km to the north, along with the small settlement of Bližná situated right at the edge of the protected area.

Frequently asked questions

Is Velké bahno a nature reserve? Formally it is a natural monument (přírodní památka) – one of the categories of area-based protection in the Czech legal system, covering a site of 85.76 hectares.

Which larger protected area does Velké bahno belong to? The site is part of the Šumava Protected Landscape Area (CHKO Šumava) and is managed by its administration.

What habitats dominate the site? Waterlogged spruce-alder forest, peatland pine stands, and willow thickets fed by meadow springs form a mosaic of wet forest habitats across the area.

Can rare species be found here? Yes – the area shelters several protected plant species, including grey sedge and false hellebore, as well as notable fungi that grow in damp coniferous forest.