Modřany Gorge
| Modřanská rokle | ||
|---|---|---|
 Libušský potok in the lower part of the gorge |
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| location | Prague 12 , Hlavní město Praha , Czech Republic | |
| Waters | Písnický / Libušský potok | |
| Mountains | Bohemian mass | |
| Geographical location | 50 ° 0 '6 " N , 14 ° 26' 35" E | |
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| Type | Kerbtal | |
| rock | Grauwacken , slate | |
| height | 300 to 214 m nm | |
| length | approx. 3.8 km | |
| surface | 1.6 km² | |
| flora | Alluvial and deciduous mixed forest | |
| use | Recreation area with bike and hiking trails | |
| particularities | Natural monument | |
The Modřany Gorge ( Modřanská rokle in Czech ) forms a notch valley on the right bank of the Vltava in the 12th district in the south of the Czech capital Prague . The wooded valley has been a designated natural monument (Přírodní památka Modřanská rokle) since 1988 and offers a popular recreational area for the Prague city population. The geological situation of the gorge provided important information about the formation of the landscape around Prague.
Location and surroundings
The natural monument, located entirely within the city limits, covers an area of 124.88 hectares and extends at an altitude of 300 to 214 m nm around 9 km south of Prague's old town . The gorge, through which the Písnický brook (Písnický potok) and Libušský brook (Libušský potok) flow, is located at the intersection of the four cadastral communities Modřany , Kamýk , Komořany and Cholupice in Prague 12 and runs mostly in an east-west direction. The lower section of the valley lies in the eponymous district of Modřany, while the northeast part is located in the district of Libuš . The two southern tips of the protected area belong to Písnice .
history
In the 16th century, the area around the Modřan Gorge belonged to the estates Komořany, Dolní Břežany and Kunratice . It consisted of grass pastures and meadows with a few oaks and bushes, alders and willows grew along the stream . After the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, the area fell to the Lords of Hirschfeld to the Zbraslav Monastery . In 1785 the monastery property came under state administration, was acquired by Frederick von Oettingen-Wallerstein in 1827 and later sold to the Knights of Alberta. The owners then changed more and more often until the area belonged almost entirely to the municipality of Modřany in the 20th century. As a result, afforestation began , with some neophytic species, including black locust and black pine , being used in ignorance of the consequences .
nature
geology
The eastern hills of the area are shaped by the Proterozoic , which in the course of the Variscan mountain formation pushed itself over the large area of the Letná strata (Letná Formation) of the Ordovician in the western part . The thrust divides the area into two geological units. The gorge itself was created during the incision of the Vltava in the Quaternary and, in the narrower sense, is an erosion channel .
The area has some interesting outcrops . A profile through the Proterozoic from an abandoned quarry east of the retention basin in the eastern part shows gray-greenish greywacke , clay slate and siltstone . Dobříšských conglomerates can be found half a kilometer downstream . Another 200 meters to the west is a siltstone quarry. A third quarry in this area shows a conspicuous fold (Štěchovických and siltstone). In addition, there are some quartz veins and rust-colored residues of limonite . The little open Závitskému rearrangement is even further downstream.
flora
In addition to black locust and black pine , mainly spruce and Scots pine were afforested. Biologically valuable stocks of red oak and black alder as well as larch , black poplar , norway maple and plane tree are less common . Naturally native species include sessile oak , English oak , winter linden , hornbeam , common ash and willow .
The herb layer in the gorge suffers from the many neophytes. In the growing area of robinia, for example, only nitrophilic weeds and elderberries thrive . On the southern slope, thermophilic willows occur in small sections. This ecosystem forms a habitat for a rare fescue species , Bohemian yellow star , mild stonecrop and noble germander . The cress type Cardaminopsis peraea has been preserved there as a glacial relic . In the rocky areas there are significant occurrences of whitefly , northern striped fern and perennial ball .
fauna
About 60 species of birds live in the gorge and its immediate vicinity, more than half of which also nest there. The protected species include hawk , sparrowhawk , reversible neck , graycatcher , common swift , barn owl , little owl and barn swallow . There are also several bat species, including noctule bat , water bat and rough-skin bat .
The water areas offer numerous amphibian species protection, including newt , crested newt , salamander , toad , green toad , agile frog and green frog . In the valley live reptiles include the sand lizard , Eastern green lizard , slow worm , smooth snake , grass snake , dice snake and viper . With 47 mollusc species , seven of which live in water, the gorge has the richest population in Prague. The two- toothed leaf snail can be found along the Libuš stream , and specimens of the rare finely ribbed grass snail have been observed in the western part of the protected area .
tourism
The Modřany Gorge can be hiked from west to east on a natural history trail. Yellow markings point from Cholupický vrh to the retention basin in the upper part of the gorge. The asphalt path along the stream is a signposted cycle route on which the natural monument can be crossed lengthways. In addition to a few smaller children's playgrounds, there is a football and basketball court in the western part. Due to its role as an urban recreational area, the Modřanská rokle ecosystem has to cope with relatively high numbers of visitors. Since many recreational athletes stay off the beaten track, some vegetation locations, especially the thermophilic pastures, have been struggling with problems for a long time. In addition, the already moderate water quality is further affected by bathing dogs, which amphibians in particular have to suffer.
natural reserve
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The primary aim of the protective activities, which culminate in the designation as a natural monument, is the preservation of the floodplain vegetation along the Libuš stream, on the survival of which numerous animal species are dependent. In addition, attempts are being made to get hold of the neophytes by afforestation of native tree species and in this way to increase the ecological quality of the forest or to restore the original forest stand. To support the thermophilic vegetation, robinia has been cut down more and more in recent years . Efforts are also being made to preserve the thermophilic ecosystems on the slopes and the exposed geological profiles. The maintenance plan for the protected area also includes a ban on fish farming as protection for amphibians.
In order to rehabilitate smaller landfills from the 1960s and 70s, greening measures were taken to reduce the impact of any contaminated sites . Several ponds were created for amphibians in the vicinity of the retention basin. In addition, progress has been made in controlling invasive knotweed east of the basin. The negligent treatment of nature by many visitors is to be counteracted by installing additional information boards.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Informační servis o životním prostředí v Praze. ENVIS, accessed April 19, 2017 (Czech).
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j PP Modranskarokle. ENVIS, accessed April 19, 2017 (Czech).
- ↑ a b c Information boards on site, PP Modřanská rokle (Czech).
- ↑ a b Ivo Chlupáč: Vycházky za geologickou minulostí Prahy a okolí 1999 (Czech).
- ↑ Prague. Behind the borders of the Prague Monument Protection Zone. Preservation of monuments and tourism by the Prague City Council / Prague Information Service 2010, p. 78.
- ↑ Chráněná území prahy. Pražská plynárenská, accessed April 27, 2017 (Czech).