Žatec (natural monument)

Žatec natural monument is a small protected nature reserve on a south-facing slope just above the town of Žatec, in the Louny district of the Czech Republic, north of the Žatec west railway station. Locally the site is also known under the names Na Staré hoře and Pod Astrou. It sits at an elevation of 210 to 270 metres, on a terraced slope rising above the valley of the Ohře river.

Why is this site protected?

The area preserves warm-loving, lime-rich plant communities that support rare species of thermophilous insects. It is this combination of vegetation and insect life that led to the site's legal protection: the natural monument was established on 6 March 1992, under registration number 1505. The area is managed by the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic.

What does the landscape look like?

The most distinctive feature of the site is the visible terracing on the slope, a legacy of past agricultural use. Vineyards and orchards once covered the terraces, but as farming was abandoned over time, the slope gradually became overgrown with shrubs and, in places, forest. This process of natural succession has left a mosaic of scrub, young woodland and remnants of open, warm grassland — the very habitat that supports the insect species for which the reserve was designated.

How does it compare to other reserves nearby?

Žatec shares its character with two other nearby natural monuments, Staňkovice and Stroupeč. All three protect similarly warm, south-facing slopes in the Louny district, but Žatec is the largest of the three by area, making it the most extensive of this group of protected sites.

What is the wider region known for?

The town of Žatec and its surrounding landscape are internationally known chiefly for hop growing — in 2023 the Žatec hop-growing landscape was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The natural monument on the slope above the town, however, represents a different and less well-known side of the region: a record of former terraced farming and a refuge for warm-loving invertebrate fauna, located close to this historic hop-growing centre but valued for entirely different natural features.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is the Žatec natural monument located? On a south-facing slope north of the town of Žatec, near the Žatec west railway station, in the Louny district.

When was the reserve established? It was designated on 6 March 1992.

What is the main reason for its protection? Warm-loving plant communities and the rare thermophilous insect species they support.

Was the land used for farming in the past? Yes — the terraced slope once held vineyards and orchards, and is now largely overgrown with shrubs and forest.

Which other reserves is it similar to? The nearby natural monuments of Staňkovice and Stroupeč, though Žatec is the largest of the three by area.