Březno u Postoloprt is a small but fascinating nature reserve along the Ohře River, where a steep slope reveals layers of fossils millions of years old. It is a great stop for anyone who enjoys combining a walk with a bit of geological discovery - few places let you see the seabed of an ancient Cretaceous sea so clearly.

The reserve sits on the northern slope of Březenský vrch, right above the right bank of the Ohře. At its core lies an almost 150-metre-long and 38-metre-high exposure of Upper Cretaceous marlstone, where the river and periodic landslides keep uncovering new layers of fossils - bivalves, sea sponges, cephalopods and remains of crabs and lobsters. The steep, rather wild slope is covered with willows, poplars and thermophilic shrubs, and in summer the area bursts into dry-loving steppe vegetation. The atmosphere shifts with the seasons - lush green in spring and summer, while autumn and winter expose the bare geological structure of the slope more clearly.

How to get there

• From Březno u Postoloprt train station - yellow trail, then a forest path to the reserve, easy route
• The yellow trail continues to the summit of Březenský vrch and onward to Louny

Practical information

• The site is protected as a geological and paleontological locality of European significance
• Periodic landslides occur on the slope, constantly exposing new fossils - caution is advised
• A sports shooting range is located nearby within the protection zone
• The protected plant species St Bernard's lily (Anthericum liliago) grows here

Already in 1893 the renowned Czech paleontologist Antonín Frič published his research on this very outcrop, and the marlstone exposure now serves as the scientific stratotype for the entire Březno Formation of the Czech Cretaceous Basin.