4. Marsh route

14. Restoration of wet meadows near Senotin

In the Czech Republic, about 27% of agricultural land was drained using subsurface pipe drainage.  A substantial part of this area was wet meadows with a peaty soil profile.  Senotin is a small village in the southern part of the Czech Republic (49°3'55.818"N, 15°8'46.744"E).  In the slopes around this village (650-700 m a.s.l.) pipe subsurface drainage was performed in 1985 in such a way that it left several small fragments of undrained peat meadow with areas of 0.5-2 ha. Consequently, a 5ha meadow was restored in 1995 by filling pipe drainage with clay stoppers in several places along the slope. The undrained meadow represents a mixture of monillietum and in oxicoco sphagnetum with Dactylorhiza majalis,  Arnica montana and Menyanthes trifoliata, while the drained meadow is a cultural meadow with Juncus glomeratus in wetter parts.  Restoration efforts have led to a rapid increase in the soil water table and increased plant and animal diversity. However, peat accumulation in the restored sites is still quite weak.

18. Třeboň, a historical town

The town, protected by national law, was founded in the 13th century and flourished especially in the 16th century. The centre is well preserved as a whole, with a beautiful central square, a large renaissance castle and a valuable gothic church with an attached monastery. The entrance to the town is possible only through the four historical gates. The town is located in the centre of the extensive fishpond system built mostly in the 16th century.