Nature trail Lipky

In 1797 a park was established here named "Leopold's Park" in honor of the new owner of the estate Count Leopold Podstatzky-Lichtenstein. In honor of Rudolf Habsburg's marriage to Stephanie of Belgium the main linden alley was renamed in 1881 to "The Row Tree of Crown Prince Rudolf and Princess Stephen of St. Stephen". However the name was not taken too long and the simple name Lipky was adopted. The 1.4 km long alley connects the chateau garden with the former pheasant house a former manorial hunting and adjoining field which was subsequently transformed into a forest park. Sunday walks by the townspeople of Telč heading in the 19th and 20th centuries along this promenade path to romantic forest training with Snake Lake and Love Lake. Other access roads to the forest park were the Kaštanka alley and the road leading along the stream and ponds behind the ponds in the so-called "Punčoška". There are ten stops on the route. At the end of your journey through Lipky in the Kaštanka alley you can continue to the first stop of the City and Water nature trail.

1 LIPKY
Welcome to the nature trail in Lipky, the entrance gate to one of the most valuable natural areas around Telč.
There is a surprisingly long tradition of this part of town being used for active recreation. It began with the nobility`s fondness for hunting, shooting, and horse-riding, then became a Christian tradition during the period of re-Catholization, when the pilgrimage to the chapel of St. Karel Boromejský with a „path of the cross“ led around the lakes Nadymák and Roštejn. Nearby the chapel, along the path, there are the remains of a shooting-range which has still preserved a stone stela with openings for stabilizing the targets.
A park was opened here in 1797, named in honour of the new owner of the dominion, Count Leopold Podstatzký-Lichtenstein as „Leopold`s Park“. On the occasion of the wedding of Rudolph of Hapsburg with Stephanie of Belgium, the main linden alley was renamed as the „Avenue of the Crown Prince Rudolph and Princess Stephanie“. The name was too long to take hold, however, so the ordinary name of Lipky (from linden tree) became commonly used. The alley, 1.4 km long, connnects the gardens beneath the castle with the former pheasantry and the former princely hunting lodge with its adjacent game preserve, later converted into a forest park. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the townspeople of Telč took their Sunday strolls through this promenade towards the romantic forest nooks near „Hadí jezírko“ (Snake Lake) and the „jezírko Lásky“ (Lake of Love). Later trails to the park became the alley „Kaštanka“ (Chestnut) and the path leading along the brook and ponds beyond the gardens in the „Punčoška“ (Stockingette).
Trips to Lipky are beautifully described in František Kožík`s book „Jezerní Růže“ (Rose of the Lake). So in the spirit of our predecessors, let us don our top hats, tuck up our skirts, grab our parasols, and off we go.
2 FOREST SOCIETY BOROVNÁ
„Forest Society Borovná“ gained its first land property with a purchase from the Telč estates, formerly owned Leopold Podstadtsky Lichtenstein in 1931. The Society included 17 member tors and the overall size of the land was 774 hectares.
Do you know that:
Nowadays, the Forest Society Borovná manages 3500 hectares of land and associates 15 member municipalities?
3 LOOKOUT POINT
The third station of the nature trail offers both a place for relaxation (seats and a table) and a beautiful view of the north-west outskirts of the town of Telč. Telč is entered in the List UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List, and there are several theories about the beginning of the town itself. More information not only about the origin of Telč, is available at the „Looukout Point station“.
4 AMPHIBIANS
In the past, amphibians were subject to frequent harassment due to prejudices and supersitions.
Amphibians are cold-blooded vertebrates bound to the water environment mostly during the mating season. Their eggs do not have a protective shell, so they must be laid in the water. Their development begins as the tadpole which does not resemble the adult. Their hind legs are the first to grow – only salamanders grow their front legs first. Their gills gradually disappear, and they develop lungs, eyes, and auditory organs.
5 CHAPEL OF ST. CHARLES
The Chapel of St. Charles Boromejský was built on the site of a former wolf pit into which the young Count Karel Jáchym Slavata fell while he was hunting, on the 13th October 1662. In the pit, from which he could not escape, he vowed that if the would be saved, he would enter the monastery of the order of the first monk he met. He was rescued by the farmers of Vanov. He fulfilled his promise and became a monk of the Carmelitan order. To commemorate this event, his mother had a chapel erected above the pit in the following year.
6 HUNTING
In the beginning hunting served to secure the most necessary needs of a human´s life. Animals belonged to no one, and anyone could hunt. The first laws concerning hunting were issued in this country around 950 AD by Prince Boleslav I.
Do you know that:
In the 14th country, new species such as the pheasant, wild rabbit, and fallow deer, then later the mouflon and muskrat were imported to this country?
Do you know that:
Large predators and beasts of prey were hunted practically without limitations until recent times, and so by the middle 19 th century, such animals as the lynx, wild cat, wolf, and bear had practically disappeared?
7 GAME PRESERVES
The small preserve near Telč was spread out over the area of today´s forest „Park“ behind the pheasantry, in 1582 it was used for breeding stags. The breeding of fallow deer in this preserve is documented from 1589, when they were brought in from the preserve near the castle. The small preserve near Telč was destroyed during the first Prussian war of 1740, when Telč was occupied by the Saxon army. The Saxons shot all the animals, and the dead fence was burned.
Do you know that:
The origin of game preserves can be found in southern Europe, where the Romans bred various types of animals in enclosures?
8 PHEASANTRY
The pheasantry in Lipky was founded around the middle 17 th century. The second, „small“ pheasantry, existed until the end of the 18 th century, on the site of today´s castle park. In 1805, when the area was occupied by the Bavarian army, the Bavarians shot out almost all of the Roštejnská preserve and did the same in the pheasantry.
Do you know that:
The pheasant is not our native game, and has been bred in Europe since the Roman times. In the Czech lands, pheasant breeding goes back to the time of the Luxembourgs?
9 REVITALIZATION OF THE STREAM
On this site in 2006, one of the smaller steams that feeds the Telč Ponds was revitalized. This was a unique project which enabled the return of the natural environment.
The previous stream, which had been straightened and deepened, was reshaped into its original form. This enabled the stream to overflow into the adjacent alluvial meadows due to its many meanders and shallow vales. This also slowed its drainage and increased its ability to retain groundwater. The stream was supplemented with nine pools for diversification.
10 THE END OF LIPKY PATH
Our stroll along the Lipky Path ends at the Kaštanka alley (Chestnut Alley). You can continue to the first station of the „Town and water“ nature trail.
Apart from the historical town centre, which was included on the List of the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage, we also recommend to visit the Old Town of Telč. The Telč historical zone of the Old Town is holding such cultural and technical monuments such as the Steam Mill, Jewish Cemetery or the nearby lookout tower „Oslednice“.

There are interesting places in Lipky area which offers not only visitors but also local citizens and especially families with children not only sports activities but also relaxing walks. In Lipky you can walk the"Lipky nature trail" or the "City tourist circuit", use the bike path and inline trail, playground and adventure ranch for relaxing and active holidays. In the wood you will find a singletrail area for cross-country cycling. 
      

This project is co-financed by the European Union.
The complex was built with the support of the Vysočina Region.