Closer to Nature: Trail ‘Around the Palace Pond’ in Lipová Reveals Hidden Gems of Nature
Lipová, a municipality smack in the middle of the panhandle area known as Šluknov Hook, lies in the shadow of an imposing Baroque palace ruin with adjacent park and fish pond. Visitors are naturally drawn to the palace building and the beautifully restored gardens, but few would guess that the location has more to offer than the spirit of history – namely, a treasure trove of wildlife around the pond. For this reason, the members of the local chapter of the Czech Union for Nature Conservation (ČSOP), working with the Lipová town hall and drawing upon the support of the NET4GAS Closer to Nature programme, have created a new educational trail that leads day trippers around the expanse of water and shows them the local secrets of nature.
The palace pond, with a surface area of 11.5 hectares, which even accommodates a little island, was created after the 1680 peasant uprising, at a time at which Lipová (then Hanšpach) Manor was owned by Johann Georg Slawata. After the peasants had failed to take the palace, and their leaders were executed for insurrection, they were forced to build the pond as a token of their submission and willingness to make amends.
Over the many years that have since passed, the pond and its surroundings have become home to a plethora of intriguing plant and animal species. “The most attractive among them is probably the European beaver, who you might call a well-established pond-side inhabitant. One of the stations along the trail shows visitors the beaver’s lodge and dam, with examples of gnawed-off trees,” says Filip Holič, member of the local ČSOP chapter associated with the Šluknov Forestry School and co-creator of the trail. Ardent visitors, he says, may well be lucky and spot the industrious rodent in action. In any case, there is much to see: various duck species out on the water, the osprey above the water, and the little ringed plover on the shoreline. Lovers of flora will be excited to encounter, e.g. marsh calla and white waterlily.
The educational trail “Around the Palace Pond” is 2.4 km long and features seven stations. The info panels, with the exception of those at the entry to the trail, discuss invertebrates, fish, plants, alder carrs, and rodents. At two resting places along the way, the weary wanderer may sit down and take in the atmosphere; further refreshment is provided by Grandpa’s Fountain, a restored well. The trail has been marked in both directions – to and from the embankment of the pond and the “U pytláka” restaurant.
This is already the 88th site unlocked by the NET4GAS Closer to Nature programme, through which NET4GAS has been supporting conservationist projects for the past twelve years and counting.
To find out more about the NET4GAS Closer to Nature program and on the sites opened to public, please, visit www.closertonature.cz.