The Moravian Karst ( cs, Moravský kras) is a karst landscape and protected landscape area to the north of Brno in the

South Moravian Region The South Moravian Region ( cs, Jihomoravský kraj; , ; sk, Juhomoravský kraj) is an administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia (an exception is Jobova Lhota which trad ...

of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. It encompasses a number of notable

geological Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other E ...

features, including roughly 1100

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

rns and gorges and covers an area of roughly 92 km².http://www.moravskykras.net/en/moravian-karst.html
Accessed 9-4-2008. Currently, five of the cave systems (

Punkva Caves The Punkva Caves (Czech: ''Punkevní jeskyně'') are a cave system of the Czech Republic located north of the city of Brno, near the town of Blansko. The Punkva River flows through it. Part of it is the Macocha Gorge, its sinkhole is about 138.7 m ...

(discovered by

Karel Absolon Karel Absolon (16 June 1877 – 6 October 1960) was a Czech archaeologist, geographer, paleontologist, and speleologist. He was born in Boskovice. Absolon was the grandchild of paleontologist Jindřich Wankel. During his studies at Charles ...

), Balcarka Cave, Kateřinská Cave, Výpustek Cave and Sloupsko-šošůvské Caves+ Kůlna Cave) are open for public tours; another -

Amatérská Cave Amatérská Cave (in Czech ''Amatérská jeskyně'', in English ''Amateurs Cave'', not used) is part of longest cave system in the Moravia, Czech Republic. It is also famous for archaeological discoveries. Except for the entrance, the cave is not ...

Býčí skála Cave Býčí skála Cave (in Czech ''Býčí skála'', in German ''Stierfelsen'', in English The Bull Rock Cave) is part of the second longest cave system in Moravia, Czech Republic. It is also famous for archaeological discoveries. Except for the e ...

or Stránská skála (out of the border) only for science exploration. This region is also home to one of the most important single geological features in the Czech Republic, the

Macocha Abyss The Macocha Abyss, also known as the Macocha Gorge, is a sinkhole in the Moravian Karst cave system of the Czech Republic. The sinkhole is deep, which makes it the deepest of its kind (light hole type) in Central Europe. It is a popular tourist at ...

, a gorge 138 m deep, which was formed when the ceiling of a cave chamber collapsed. Macocha Abyss is also the place where the

Punkva River Punkva is a long river in South Moravia, Czech Republic. It is a Subterranean river in the Moravian Karst and a left tributary of the Svitava. It is the longest underground river in the Czech Republic. The river forms underground as a confluenc ...

begins to run underground through the Punkva cave system, and two small pools of water are visible at the surface. The Moravian Karst is a popular

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

attraction in the local area, and large numbers of tourists visit in the summer months. In addition to caverns, the protected landscape area contains well-marked bicycle

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. ...

s and

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

paths to explore.

References

External links

Moravian Karst Show Caves Administration
(

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

)
Blansko town site with tourism information

Landforms of the Czech Republic Caves of the Czech Republic Limestone caves Show caves in the Czech Republic Tourist attractions in the Czech Republic Karst Canyons and gorges of Europe {{SouthMoravia-geo-stub

See also

References

External links