Blansko District: Discover Castles, Caves and Nature

Blansko District combines impressive cave landscapes with castles, industrial history and trails for active exploration. When choosing where to stay, the main question for you is whether you want to focus on culture, nature experiences or the special connections between the two.

Castles, history and unusual exhibitions

A prominent cultural landmark is Rájec nad Svitavou Castle. It is a National Cultural Monument and was built between 1763 and 1769 in the French-influenced Neoclassical style. The castle greenhouses are a special seasonal addition: they are open to the public during the camellia bloom in February and March.

At Lysice Castle, the garden and the fig house are available as a self-guided visitor route. This allows you to experience a castle visit differently from an exclusively guided tour. In Blansko, the wooden Church of Saint Paraskeva also recalls that the building was transferred from Carpathian Ruthenia.

The area's industrial history reveals another side of the destination. The Blansko ironworks became the largest cast-iron producer in Moravia and Austrian Silesia and exported its products worldwide. At the Blanensko Archaeology Exhibition, you can see Hallstatt finds from Býčí skála, where the remains of at least forty people were found. Replicas, an audio guide and Braille labels assist blind visitors. The fully wheelchair-accessible ground-floor area of the Dům přírody Moravského krasu complements this accessibility information for your cultural planning.

Cave landscapes and distinctive viewpoints

Býčí skála is a National Nature Reserve and part of the second-longest cave system in the Czech Republic. The Býčí skála–Rudické propadání cave system is more than 18 kilometres long. The Kateřinská Cave also combines nature and history: it contains evidence of human settlement in the Stone Age as well as bones of animals from the Quaternary. Its main dome is the largest publicly accessible cave chamber in the Czech Republic. Concerts are also held there because of its acoustics.

Macocha can be viewed from two different viewpoints. The upper viewpoint is 138 metres above the bottom of the gorge, while the lower one is 92 metres above the lower part of the abyss. A hiking trail leads from the Macocha viewpoint towards the Punkva Caves. An ecological train also runs between Skalní Mlýn and the Punkva Caves, providing a connection within this cave area; a cable car connects the Punkva Caves with the Macocha Cottage.

Trails, water and excursions at different paces

The forested ruins of New Castle near Blansko can be reached on foot and have a castle tavern open at weekends. For a quieter day, the Palava Reservoir in Blansko offers nature-oriented swimming, shaded areas beneath the trees and a refreshment stand.

Rozhledna Podvrší is located on a blue-marked hiking trail and cycle route 5116 between Blansko and Boskovice. The observation tower is 49 metres high and is reached by 168 green iron steps. A tourist information centre also operates there seasonally. In the wider surrounding region, EuroVelo 9 is marked with yellow-and-black signs and the EuroVelo 9 logo. Depending on your desired travel pace, you can use it to combine cultural sightseeing, caves and walks in different ways, without limiting your stay to just one type of experience.

Continue exploring places in the destination

Blansko, Boskovice, Býkovice, Jedovnice, Lhota U Lysic, Lysice, Kuncina Ves, Blansko-Oburka, Svata Katerina, Vanovice, Benešov U Boskovic, Bukovina, Svetla, Stvolova, Suchy, Pametice, Kulirov, Obora, Sudice, Cetkovice, Doubravice Nad Svitavou, Drnovice U Lysic, Černovice, Knínice U Boskovic, Kotvrdovice, Kunštát, Křetín, Křtiny, Letovice, Lipůvka, Němčice, Olešnice Na Moravě, Olomučany, Ostrov U Macochy, Rájec-Jestřebí, Roubanina, Rozseč Nad Kunštátem, Šebetov, Skalice Nad Svitavou, Skrchov, Lipovec, Svitávka, Úsobrno, Vážany, Velké Opatovice, Vísky, Spešov, Adamov U Brna, Bedřichov U Lysic, Borotín, Bořitov, Brťov-Jeneč, Bukovinka, Crhov, Černá Hora, Deštná, Dlouhá Lhota, Habrůvka, Holštejn, Horní Poříčí, Horní Smržov, Chrudichromy, Jabloňany, Kněževes, Kořenec, Kozárov, Krasová, Krhov, Křtěnov, Kunice, Kuničky, Štěchov, Lazinov, Lhota Rapotina, Lhota U Olešnice, Lubě, Ludíkov, Makov, Malá Lhota, Malá Roudka, Míchov, Vysočany U Blanska, Nýrov, Okrouhlá, Prostřední Poříčí, Ráječko, Rozsíčka, Rudice, Sebranice, Senetářov, Sloup V Moravském Krasu, Vavřinec, Sulíkov, Svinošice, Šebrov-Kateřina, Šošůvka, Újezd U Boskovic, Ústup, Valchov, Velenov, Vilémovice U Macochy, Voděrady, Vranová, Závist, Zbraslavec, Žďár U Blanska, Žernovník, Dolní Lhota, Těchov, Vlkov and Petrovice.

To the overview of the wider destination: South Moravia.