Picture steep rocks and gorges. Picture expansive forests meadows and steppes. That is Divoká Šárka. It is a place where sheep and goats graze.
Welcome to Divoká Šárka a natural reserve in Prague. Divoká Šárka lies in the rocky valleys of the Šárecký stream. It sits in the Prague 6 district Liboc between the Džbán gorge and Čertův mill. Steppes transition into an extensive forest. It creates one of Prague’s largest parks.
Divoká Šárka has a rich history. The oldest archaeological finds include animal bones. They show human presence since the Paleolithic era. Hunting and gathering were the main sources of food. Humans began changing the vegetation in the Neolithic period. Farming and herding became permanent.
A significant settlement of the Knovíz culture existed here in the Bronze Age. Slavs arrived around the 6th century. They settled the area. From the 7th to 9th centuries a Slavic settlement stood above the Džbán gorge. It covered about three hectares. A large twenty-hectare outer area was nearby. It was divided into inner and outer sections. The remains of these settlements are still visible. They form ramparts mostly covered in vegetation. In 1995 the site was declared a national cultural monument. It is named Hradiště Šárka. It is one of nine national cultural monuments in Prague.
Forests gradually disappeared in the Middle Ages. Deforested areas became farmland. They turned into fields orchards vineyards and pastures. Only the rocky steppes remained almost untouched. Until the late 19th century the area was nearly treeless. The forest cover was about a quarter of what it is today. Artificial reforestation began at this time. The land was farmed until World War II. Socioeconomic conditions changed after the war. Farming stopped. Uncontrolled spread of expansive herbs began. Warm-loving grasses were overgrown with shrubs and trees. Another wave of artificial reforestation occurred. Non-native tree species were used.
Divoká Šárka was declared a protected area. It protects a significant geomorphological unit. This includes a deep valley cut by the Šárecký stream. The stream flows through hard rocks. The reserve preserves warm-loving vegetation on sunny southern slopes. It also protects cold-loving vegetation on shaded northern slopes. Divoká Šárka is a unique part of Prague’s nature. It was the first natural monument declared in the city. This recognition stems from its geological botanical and zoological significance.
The area features massive rock formations called Džbán. These formations consist of rock. The rock dates back to the Proterozoic era around 600 million years ago. A deep gorge divides the rock formation. The Šárecký stream created this gorge through water erosion. The gorge is the result of erosion processes. These processes occurred throughout the Quaternary period. The Šárecký stream valley divides the formation. It splits it into two rock massifs Kozákova skála and Šestákova skála. The valley widens beyond the Džbán gorge. Further downstream are more rock formations. These include Dívčí skok and Nebušická skála above the stream’s left bank.
Various plant communities thrive in Divoká Šárka. These range from remnants of floodplain forests. They are along the Šárecký stream’s natural course. There are also cold-loving fern communities on shady northern walls. Warm-loving rocky communities exist on sunny southern cliffs. The highlands especially Kozákova skála were settled in prehistoric times. Richer plant communities are on the edges of the rocks. These include plants. Examples are feather grass slender melic thin-flowered and other species. On the rocks themselves stunted oak forests grow. Heather and wavy hair-grass are also present.
The rocks host species. Examples are gray fescue rock-cress mountain garlic spurge and stonecrops. Český křívatec and thin-flowered also grow here. Common polypody spleenwort and brittle bladder-fern thrive in rock crevices. Also wood sorrel white sedge spruce and rowan. Xerophilic species include European spindle rose hawthorn and service tree. Dry forests surround the rocks. They contain sycamore maple ash nettle and dead-nettle. Dry heathlands feature heather wavy hair-grass and perennial knawel. Wall fescue gray fescue and Hungarian fescue also occur. One can also find glandular globe-flower and spiked speedwell.