Malý a Velký štít is a national nature reserve where limestone marl slopes host a remarkable collection of glacial relict species. It's a place for nature lovers who appreciate rare plants over crowded viewpoints - here you'll find bearberry and alpine milkwort thriving on exposed rocky ridges.

The landscape is defined by steep marlstone crags covered in a patchwork of vegetation, from sun-baked grasslands to the remnants of ancient scree forest below the rocks. Oaks, lime trees, sycamore maples, beeches and hornbeams cling to the slopes, occasionally joined by common juniper. In spring the rocky ledges bloom with delicate wildflowers, while autumn brings rich colours to the mixed woodland. The reserve sits within the Džbán Nature Park, a quiet corner far from the busier trails of the region.

How to get there

• From the village of Vinařice (Louny district) - along the forest road running above the reserve, easy walk
• The reserve continues into the similarly sized Pochválovská stráň above the villages of Smilovice and Pochvalov

Practical information

• Public access is permitted only along the forest road at the upper edge of the protected area
• The site protects rare bearberry and alpine milkwort populations - please stay on the marked path
• Established in 1989, the reserve is managed by the Nature and Landscape Protection Agency of the Czech Republic

Interestingly, the bearberry found here is a true glacial relict, a species that has survived largely unchanged since the last Ice Age - a small living link to a much colder past.