Picture stone organ pipes shaped by lava nearly two million years ago - that is exactly what awaits you at this small but remarkable nature reserve near the village of Mezina. It is a must for anyone curious about the volcanic past of the Bruntál region, frozen forever in rock.

The site of a former quarry face reveals striking basalt columns with hexagonal, occasionally pentagonal cross-sections, some reaching several decimetres across. The dark grey, sometimes lighter rock is a nepheline basanite grading into olivine nephelinite, and if you look closely you can spot glistening crystals of olivine and, more rarely, augite and magnetite. The atmosphere here is intimate and slightly mysterious, with the columns forming an almost architectural composition that looks especially striking in soft morning light or amid the autumn colours of the surrounding forest.

How to get there

• From the summit of Venušina sopka through the village of Mezina - local nature trail 'Po vulkanitech', easy route
• From the Mezina, U lomu bus stop - about 400 metres, easy route

The reserve covers just 1.22 hectares, yet it rewards visitors with an unusually dense concentration of geological curiosities - a perfect stop to combine with a walk along the volcanic trail leading up to the nearby Venušina sopka summit.