Game drive in the heart of Karlovy Vary: Svatý Linhart Game Reserve attracts deer and visitors

St. Linhart's preserve is situated above the Doubí locality in Karlovy Vary. There is also a paid parking lot. Easy accessibility makes it an ideal place for family tripwhich you can do with a stroller.

The first viewing platform can be found just behind the information centre and the Linhart café, where you can observe the Dybowski's deer and Sika deer, which are naturally found in eastern Russia. If you're not lucky at the lookout, the route will take you past the game preserve so you can meet them later. An adult deer weighs approximately 85 kg, while a doe weighs around 50 kg. Females have a gestation period of 8 months and the cubs are usually born in late spring. They mature around two years. They are exclusive herbivores and therefore their diet consists of common grasses, leaves, herbs and seeds.

Isn't he a wonderful animal? We strictly observe the no feeding rule, so just watch and enjoy its beauty.

During your visit, don't forget to explore the remains of St. Linhart's Church. These remains of a Romanesque church lie above the former settlement of Obora. After the founding of Karlovy Vary, however, its importance declined as the inhabitants of Obora began to move to the valley of the Teplá River, and the church gradually ceased to exist around the end of the 15th century and began to crumble. Archaeologists have found the remains of bodies here, namely a man, two children and a woman in a crouched position, who was probably tied up. Today, we may never know what once took place here.

Below the ruins is St Linhart's Chapel, rebuilt in 1838 by Lady William Russell. This pseudo-Gothic style chapel, with a square plan and built of rubble masonry, was renovated in 2007. Inside the chapel is a statue of St Linhart with a reclining cow, which was carved from lime wood by the carver Mark Minar of Kynžvart in 2007.

The fields cover a total area of 67 hectares, so it is important that we get everything done.

From this vantage point, which towers over the game preserve, you can observe other animals, namely fallow deer, also known as European fallow deer. Adults weigh around 55 kilograms, while females weigh around 35 kilograms. The females are called danishes. Their diet consists mainly of grass, herbs and leaves of various shrubs and trees. During estrus, which takes place in October, the males define their territory by urinating. To deter rivals and attract females, they make a characteristic sound known as a swarming.

And now we're going to move on, because we're going to have the third and final part of the branch.

The first wild boars were spotted at the end of the game preserve near Fibich's gazebo, where they were enjoying a peaceful rest. Although we did not discover them at first, our patience paid off in the end. These animals spend most of the day at rest and are especially active at night. These omnivores can weigh up to 100 kg, with females weighing around 80 kg. Boars reach maturity between the 8th and 10th month, while boars mature around the 2nd year. Piglets are born between March and May, and each litter can have 3 to 12 piglets, creating strong family ties.

In the programme Wandering around the Czech Republic we offer you inspiration for trips around the Czech Republic. You can look forward to lots of interesting information and visit many attractive locations. Tomáš Minář will guide you through the programme.

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