Ochoz u Brna – Nature, Caves and Culture in the Moravian Karst

Ochoz u Brna lies in the southernmost part of the Moravian Karst Protected Landscape Area. The village combines an easy educational trail, caves with archaeological traces, and St. Wenceslas Church with traditional festivals. This creates a destination where nature, local history and prehistory offer different focal points for travel planning.

Údolí Říčky Educational Trail and Landscape

The Údolí Říčky educational trail is an easy 3 km hiking route. The three-kilometre length and easy character make the trail a clearly defined hiking stage; the stops structure the topics along the route. Ten information panels about geology, archaeology and the surrounding nature are located along the trail. The educational trail has eight stops and follows a watercourse whose water alternately disappears below the surface and reappears. The route thus combines exercise with vivid topics from nature and the history of the Earth.

In Říčky Nature Park, extended cycling tours and walks are possible through a picturesque landscape with meadows along the meandering Říčka stream and steep slopes of wooded hills. Ochozská jeskyně is the largest cave in the Říčky valley. Alongside the educational trail, landscape formations and caves therefore serve as independent attractions.

Caves and Archaeological Traces

Pekárna Cave can be reached from Ochoz via a blue hiking trail on a forest path of approximately 2 km along the stream. Švédův stůl Cave lies in the Říčky valley near the blue hiking trail towards Pekárna, approximately 1.5 km from Ochoz.

A carved limestone block approximately 15,000 years old depicting a horse was discovered in Švédův stůl Cave; it is an exceptional example of Magdalenian art. The lower jaw of a Neanderthal was also found there, and is also known as the “Ochozská jaw”. In the wider surroundings of Ochoz u Brna, rare finds of Stone Age stone artefacts from the older Stone Age come from Pekárna Cave and are represented in the archaeological collections of the Brno Region Museum.

St. Wenceslas Church and Local Traditions

The late Renaissance St. Wenceslas Church in Ochoz u Brna was built in 1606 on the site of a chapel dating from around 1250. After repairs in 1658–1659 following the Thirty Years’ War, it was expanded in 1740–1750. Traditional masopustní Vostatky and Svatováclavské hody festivals take place in Ochoz. Religious architectural history and local festival traditions thus complement the village’s nature and archaeological themes.

Travel Planning Information

For travel to the area, bus line 201 of the Integrated Transport System of the South Moravian Region (IDS JMK) runs between Brno and Jedovnice through Ochoz u Brna. For more travel ideas, you can also discover Rohozec, Prštice, Medlov, Žďárec, Nosislav, Chudčice, Rosice U Brna and Vranovice.

For the overview of the wider area: Brno-Country District.