Slezská Harta is one of the youngest and most scenic large reservoirs in the Czech Republic — a sprawling 8.7 km² lake carved into the gentle hills of the Low Jeseníky mountains near the town of Bruntál. Its shoreline twists into numerous quiet bays, giving it the shape of a Chinese dragon on the map, and the surrounding forested slopes make it feel wonderfully secluded. Whether you come for a boat trip, a lakeside walk, or a fishing session, this place has a calm, unhurried charm that is hard to resist.
The landscape around the reservoir is soft and inviting — mixed forests roll down to the water's edge, and the views across the lake change beautifully with the seasons. Spring brings fresh greenery reflected in the still water, autumn turns the hillsides gold and amber, and summer fills the shores with activity. The dam itself, located at the eastern end of the reservoir, is an impressive piece of engineering worth a closer look.
How to get thereOn the eastern shore stands the Church of St. John of Nepomuk at Karlovec — the only building that survived when the village was flooded during construction in the 1990s. It now rises quietly above the waterline, a small but moving reminder of the communities that once lived in this valley.