The
Macocha Ravine
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The
Macocha Ravine is one of the most important karst formations of the Moravian
Karst, its mighty and insurmountable rock walls attracted the attantion of
man since prehistoric times. The first written records on it come from the
second-half of the 16th century. The date when the ravine was entered by man
for the first time and the name of the first brave man to do so are unknown.
The oldest written records inform us that Lazarus Schopper and other Brno
monks lowered themselves to the ravine in 1723. The ravine arose through a cave in of a mighty dome-shaped cave,
situated below a deep depression along a line of important tectonic
irregularities. The horizontal section of the ravine is elliptical, in shape
and its dimensions are 174 x 76m According to the latest data the ravine is
138,7 m deep and its bottom is partially filled with a rubble cone and
sediments, and there also two small lakes. The Upper Lake is 13,5 m deep and
its level is roughly 80 cm higher than that of the Lower Like, which is 25 m
deep. The depth of the lakes varies. At the foot of the rubble cone the
ravine is crossed bz thePunkva underground river. It enters the ravine
through a cave called Jalove koryto (The Barren Bed), in the north-eastern
wall. The water commes to the Barren Bed from the bottom of Cervik's Caves,
forming the southernmost part of the system of the so-called Amateur-Cave,
whose branches reach as far as the underground cave systems near the villages
of Sloup and Holstejn. From the Barren Bed the water goes to the Lower Lake,
and from there through a deep siphon it returns to the underground again.
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A number of caves open to the Macocha ravine -
some of them are situated deep under the level of the underground waters. In
the north-western part let us mention the Punkevni Caves open for the
visitors, Kuchar's Cave, Tramova Cave and Cave Below the Bridge. In the
southern part of the ravine a short tunnel has been cut to the underground
boat landing stage and to the Macocha water domes crossed by the underground
Punkva River. Near the artificial tunnel are Erich's, Pasovskeho and Vetrna
(Windy) Caves. High in the rock walls of the Macocha Ravine we can see the
entrances of a number of the caves, not jet explored. As regards its microklimatic conditions Macocha is a warm ravine,with
high moisture content and definitely inverse layers of air, especially in
winter. Its climatic situation is very favourable for the vegetation. The
rock walls of the ravine are covered with thick carpets of various species of
moss and many kinds of herbs thrive on the rubble cone. The most important
plant of the ravine is bear's ear or sanicle (Cortusa matthioli L.). Among
the fauna of the Jalove koryto (The Barren Bad) new species of water fleas
and other water insects in the ravine. The name of the ravine comes from a 17th century folk tale. The story
has it that once upon the time there was a vicious step-mother in the nearby
village of Vilemovice, in order to get rid of her step-daughter she threw her
to the ravine. The child, howerer, remained caught in the bushes over
precipice and was rescued by passers-by. An angry crowd of villagers then
punished the callous step-mother by throwing to the Macocha ("The Step-mother")
Ravine. |
