Vrábl's pastures – A History of Human Coexistence with Nature in the Mountains
Up in the Vizovice Hills, at an elevation of about 600 m above sea level, lie "Vrábl's pastures" –Vráblovy paseky. This area is a typical example of the Moravian Wallachian landscape, with its meadows, pastures, hedgerows and forests, a relatively high percentage of Fagus (beech) woodlands, and traditional pastoralist dwellings. The name of the place is taken from the first owner, and is still in use on today's maps. In this rocky region, people have survived by submitting to the laws of Mother Nature. Some of the locals are in fact descendants of the original population who settled here in the 18th century, among the Vrábl dynasty.
Aside from the year-round grazing of Hucul (or Carpathian) horses, which are bred here in large numbers almost unparalleled in the rest of Moravia, untouched treasures of wildlife can also be found. Venture into the meadows and you will spot various kinds of orchids; for instance, the early-purple orchid, lesser butterfly-orchid, fragrant orchid or globe orchid. Drier spots, which have been exposed by grazing, may have stands of the increasingly rare mountain everlasting, also known as "pussytoes". "Žídkův dub", an almost 200-year old memorial oak tree, forms an imposing landmark. If you are lucky, you may get to hear the distinctive calls of the corn crake or the Eurasian wryneck, or witness the Eurasian skylark nesting on the ground.
"The region of Zlín is home to a great number of amazing natural spots of interest worth being brought closer to the public, as can be seen, e.g. from the fact that this is already the eleventh site in the region made accessible by the Czech Union for Nature Conservation within the NET4GAS Closer to Nature programme," highlighted Zuzana Kučerová of NET4GAS, general partner of the ČSOP since 2007.
The educational trail installed by the North Moravian regional chapter of the ČSOP is about 1,200 m long and features five stations. In addition to standard info panels, visitors also find two panels with panoramic photographs, and a sturdy wooden bench on which to rest and take in the beautiful view. Following the blue hiking trail leading out of Lužná, one encounters the first station on the Vráblovy paseky educational trail after walking a distance of about one kilometre.
