Rotava
Stone pipes in a thick forest
The Rotava Nature Reserve was established at the site of a relict of a Tertiary volcano with a perfect example of the erosion of columnar basalt. The face of the former quarry is composed of up to 12 m tall prisms aligned in the shape of a fan that resemble the pipes of an organ. The columns formed as a result of internal strain during contraction of the cooling lava flow. The basalt peak offers a magnificent panoramic view of Rotava and the wide surroundings.
The locality is one of the stops on the planned trail dedicated to the places of interest in the environs of Rotava. For example, these include kaolin pits or sun stones – quartz blocks, some of the largest in the Czech Republic. In the Růžové (“Rose“) Valley, we can look into the canyon of Skřivánčí (“Nightingale“) Stream with its granite crags and ledges, potholes and tangible evidence of seismic activity. The mouth of an exploratory adit attests to the occurrence of ore deposits.
