The Moravian Karst () is a

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

landscape and protected landscape area to the north of

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

in the

South Moravian Region The South Moravian Region (; , ; ), or just South Moravia, is an Regions of the Czech Republic, administrative unit () of the Czech Republic, located in the south-western part of its historical region of Moravia. The region's capital is Brno, th ...

of the

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

. It encompasses a number of notable

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

features, including roughly 1100

cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

rns and

gorge A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...

s 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 Abyss, its sinkhole is about 138.7 ...

(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 Charle ...

), Balcarka Cave, Kateřinská Cave,

Výpustek Cave Výpustek Cave () is show cave in the central part of the Moravian Karst Protected Landscape Area in Czech Republic. It is located in the upper section of the Křtiny Valley, in the municipality of Křtiny. It forms two subterranean levels of the ...

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 the longest cave system in Moravia, Czech Republic. It is also famous for archaeological discoveries. Except for the entrance, the cave is not ...

Býčí skála Cave Býčí skála Cave (, , ) is part of the second longest cave system in Moravia, Czech Republic. It is also famous for archaeological discoveries. Except for the entrance, the cave is not accessible to the public, although occasionally it is op ...

Stránská skála Stránská skála is a hill and a national nature monument in Brno in the Czech Republic. It refers to a Mid-Pleistocene- Cromerian interglacial most important paleontological site in Central Europe. Location Stránská skála is situated in t ...

(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, 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 The Punkva (also called Luha upstream) is a river in the Czech Republic, a left tributary of the Svitava River. It flows through the South Moravian and Olomouc regions. It is long. It is the longest underground river in the Czech Republic. The ...

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, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

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 A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

trail A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or a small paved road (though it can also be a route along a navigable waterways) generally not intended for usage by motorized vehicles, usually passing through a natural area. Ho ...

s and

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

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: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

)
Blansko town site with tourism information

Landforms of the Czech Republic Tourist attractions in the Czech Republic Karst Canyons and gorges of Europe Karst fields {{SouthMoravia-geo-stub

See also

References

External links