The Moravian Karst is known for its caves, its mysterious Macocha Abyss, and underground boat rides that leave children wide-eyed and parents breathless. But if you stop and listen – really listen – you’ll find out: this place isn’t just about what you see. Because here, just seeing is never enough. This landscape is full of hidden layers and quiet connections – between people, places, time and stone. And once you start noticing them, it changes everything.
Don’t just see. Seek the connections. That’s my motto. That’s what I guide for. I present the Moravian Karst through the eyes of the locals – the people who still know these stories, who walk these paths every day, and for whom this landscape isn’t a destination, but a memory.
When aristocrats shaped the landscape
The minaret, the Karst… and your favorite pencil?
While most visitors think of Lednice and Valtice – today one of the most visited UNESCO heritage sites in the Czech Republic – few know that the same Liechtenstein family once shaped the heart of the Moravian Karst. In the 19th century, they developed a romantic landscape park between Vranov and Křtiny – using natural formations instead of artificial lakes and follies. Their court architect? Josef Hardtmuth, who not only designed the Lednice Minaret, but also invented the modern pencil. Annoyed by constantly getting graphite on his hands while sketching, Hardtmuth wrapped the lead in wood – and founded what would become Koh-i-noor, one of the oldest pencil companies in the world. Only fragments of this noble past remain. But if you want to explore the places where nature meets forgotten history, join me for a guided tour.
The Punkva cave that took 200 years to conquer
And the professor who blew his way to the bottom
The Macocha Abyss is one of the most breathtaking sights in the Moravian Karst. Where else can you drift on a glowing underground river… with 90 meters of rock towering above you, and absolute darkness all around? But this experience – this otherworldly silence – didn’t come easily. People first reached the bottom of the abyss in 1723, using nothing but ropes and a pulley. But it wasn’t until the early 20th century that someone finally reached it on foot, through the underground. That someone was Professor Karel Absolon – the same man who would later open the Punkevní Caves to the public.And the path he carved? It wasn’t gentle. It took five years and a whole lot of dynamite, ending in 1914. The underground river route – the one with boats – had to wait almost 20 more years. Today, it feels natural. But behind that quiet ride is a century of effort, vision… and explosions.
When the underground river in Punkva cave disappears
Have you ever wondered what’s under the boat when you float through the Punkevní Caves? A glowing green current, sure. But under that? In truth, you’re floating on something that shouldn’t be navigable at all. Without the clever system of pumps, tunnels and water control, the river’s natural level would be six meters higher – flooding the passages and making the entire boat route impossible. So when you glide silently through the cave, you’re not just experiencing nature. You’re witnessing a quiet collaboration between cave and human ingenuity.
In 2025, during a scheduled maintenance shutdown, the pumps were stopped. The river receded – and suddenly, the boats hung in mid-air. The hidden was revealed. The rocky bottom appeared: smooth stone shaped by centuries of flow, gentle ripples etched in silence, traces of dynamite from a century ago. You could see exactly where nature stopped and human determination began. And yes – a few sunken smartphones showed up too, like tiny reminders of excitement and bad decisions. For a brief moment, light reached where it never usually goes. Not just from headlamps – but from curiosity. Then the pumps came back on. The water rose. And the cave returned to its usual silence – calm, flowing, secret.
📷 Take a rare look beneath the surface
A Walk Through Time: The Moravian Karst doesn’t forget. You just have to know where to look.
If you had a time machine and could travel back to the last Ice Age, where would you go? To the edge of a glacier? To a tundra full of mammoths?
To windswept steppes with wild horses and bison? You could do all of that. Or… you could just take a walk in the Moravian Karst. Because here, in one protected area, the past never really left.
Step down into the shadows of the Macocha Abyss, and you’ll find a tiny, fragile flower clinging to the vertical rock face. It’s called Matthioli’s bellflower. Most alpine plants retreated to the mountains when the ice melted. But this one stayed. Tucked into the eternal shade of Macocha – a living relic of the Ice Age, rooted in silence and cool air. It remembers a time when snow covered this land for most of the year.
But walk just a few hundred meters uphill, and something magical happens.The shade turns to sunlight. The air warms. The landscape opens. And suddenly, you’re standing among Mediterranean plants – species you’d expect in Tuscany, Greece, or southern France. They’re here because, after the Ice Age, ancient grazers like bison and aurochs kept the land open, warm, and dry. And the plants adapted. They stayed.
Two climates. Two eras. One valley. You don’t need a time machine here. You just need to know where to look. That’s what I love about this place.
The Karst remembers. And it whispers its memories through leaves, rocks, and roots – if you’re quiet enough to listen.
📍 Want to walk from the Ice Age to the Mediterranean? Join me for a tour – I’ll show you where time folds into the landscape.
The Moravian Karst remembers
The Moravian Karst remembers things we’ve forgotten.
The footsteps of knights.
The tools of early humans.
The flowers of ancient climates.
The boats that wait for water.
And sometimes, all it takes to hear the story… is to walk with someone who listens.
Ready to go deeper?
If this sounds like your kind of adventure, I’d love to guide you. I don’t just take people to caves. I take them to stories. Book a guided tour. Or just write me a message. I’ll help you look beyond the obvious.
I’m Maruška – a guide and storyteller rooted in the Moravian Karst. I run a small countryside guesthouse here and lead guided walks to share the stories, landscapes, and quiet places I love. I grew up with these trails and caves and want to help others experience them with respect and curiosity. I love exploring the Moravian Karst in its wider context and am always happy to talk about Central Europe as a whole too.