The Pálava Protected Landscape Area (abbreviated Pálava PLA; cs, Chráněná krajinná oblast Pálava, abbreviated ''CHKO Pálava'') is a protected landscape area and a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

located 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 ...

in 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. Th ...

, on the border with

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. The highest point is

Děvín Děvín (german: Mayden Berg) is a double peak mountain in the Pavlov municipality in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. With an elevation of , it is the highest mountain of the Pavlov Hills within the Mikulov Highlands, and of th ...

with its a.s.l.

Description

This unique area was originally recognized by UNESCO in 1986 and expanded in 2003 to include another UNESCO site, the

Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape The Lednice–Valtice Cultural Landscape (also Lednice–Valtice Area or Lednice–Valtice Complex, cs, Lednicko-valtický areál) is a cultural-natural landscape complex of in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It comprises the ...

. Pálava PLA is dominated by the limestone Pálava Hills (part of the outer

Western Carpathians The Western Carpathians are a mountain range and geomorphological province that forms the western part of the Carpathian Mountains. The mountain belt stretches from the Low Beskids range of the Eastern Carpathians along the border of Poland w ...

), and contains a significant proportion of natural or little affected

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate grasslan ...

ecosystems that include meadow steppe, forest steppe, and

thermophilic A thermophile is an organism—a type of extremophile—that thrives at relatively high temperatures, between . Many thermophiles are archaea, though they can be bacteria or fungi. Thermophilic eubacteria are suggested to have been among the ear ...

oak forest. In the floodplain of the river

Thaya The Thaya ( cs, Dyje ) is a river in Central Europe, the longest tributary to the river Morava. Its drainage basin is . It is ( with its longest source river German Thaya) long and meanders from west to east in the border area between Lower A ...

, forests alternate with meadows and wetland habitat that also include

halophytic A halophyte is a salt-tolerant plant that grows in soil or waters of high salinity, coming into contact with saline water through its roots or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs and seashores. ...

vegetation. The remaining part of Pálava PLA is used agriculturally, with many sustainably farmed

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vine ...

s that are a part of the

Mikulovská wine Mikulovská is one of four Czech wine regions within southern Moravia, Czech Republic. The Mikulovská wine region, containing 30 wine villages, is famed for producing white wines grown in the limestone soils, particularly in and around the area of ...

subregion. Pálava PLA contains well preserved monuments of historical significance, such as the

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός '' palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone to ...

site in

Dolní Věstonice Dolní Věstonice (german: Unterwisternitz) is a municipality and village in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants. It is known for the eponymous archaeological site. Geography Dolní ...

where the

Venus of Dolní Věstonice The Venus of Dolní Věstonice ( cs, Věstonická venuše) is a Venus figurine, a ceramic statuette of a nude female figure dated to 29,000–25,000 BCE ( Gravettian industry). It was found at the Paleolithic site Dolní Věstonice in the Mora ...

was discovered. The largest town in Pálava PLA is

Mikulov Mikulov (; german: Nikolsburg; yi, ניקאלשבורג, ''Nikolshburg'') is a town in Břeclav District in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 7,400 inhabitants. The historic centre of Mikulov is well preserved and ...

, located in its southernmost part.

Gallery

Zřícenina hradu Děvičky z úbočí Děvína.JPG, Děvičky Castle ruins over Nové Mlýny Reservoir Skály na vrcholu děvína.JPG, Děvín Zřícenina Sirotčí hrádek.JPG,

Sirotčí hrádek Sirotčí hrádek (also Sirotčí hrad, Sirotčí hrady or Růžový hrad; german: Waisenstein or ''Rosenstein'') is a ruin of a Gothic castle in the municipality Klentnice in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. The origins of the c ...

castle ruins Svatý kopeček u Mikulova.JPG, Svatý kopeček hill over

Protected landscape areas in the Czech Republic Biosphere reserves of the Czech Republic Protected areas of the Western Carpathians Geography of the South Moravian Region Tourist attractions in the South Moravian Region Břeclav District {{Europe-protected-area-stub