The memorial plaque to Martin Kříž (1841–1916) commemorates the place of birth of the important speleologist, archaeologist and geographer who linked his scientific activities with the Moravian Karst area. It is thanks to Kříž that not only were remarkable palaeontological and archaeological findings discovered, but also that many cave spaces were altimetrically mapped.

Martin Kříž was attracted to the Moravian Karst caves from a young age. He was from Líšeň u Brna not far off, which enabled him to visit these nature formations often. In 1864 Kříž explored the Macocha gorge in detail – he let himself be lowered to the bottom on a rope and then spent two days and one night exploring the caves and pools. In the same year he published his first popularizing treatise in the magazine Živa, entitled On Moravian Caves. In 1867 he translated this article into German under the title Der verlässliche Führer in die romantischen Gegenden der devonischen Kalkformation in Mähren (A Reliable Guide to the Romantic Surroundings of the Devonian Limestone Formation in Moravia). Kříž`s professional career was in a different field – he was a notary in Ždánice, however through self-study developed into an excellent palaeontologist and archaeologist. He made significant discoveries in these two disciplines especially during his research of the caves Kůlna and Kostelík in Pekárna (Grange and Church in Bakery). And Kříž`s geological and cartographic knowledge was reflected in the altimetry measurements, e. g. of the caves in Sloup, the Výpustek Cave, or the Býčí skály (Bull rock). Thanks to careful levelling, he was able to assess the continuity of watercourses, calculate their gradients or the depths of gorges. He published the results of his work in 1878 in a work entitled On Some Caves in Moravia and their Groundwaters. Contribution to the Science of Mountains and Waters of Moravia. In the following years Martin Kříž continued to publish extensively and in his publications, he reflected also his numerous expert contacts with colleagues from abroad.

For twenty years Kříž worked closely in his research with Florian Koudelka, a veterinarian from Vyškov. They published the results of their joint work in 1900 and 1902 in a two-volume work entitled A Guide for Moravian Caves. It is interesting to know, that Kříž established a private museum in Ždánice where he lived. Before his death, however, he sold his collection to the Moravian Museum, and then his private museum disappeared.

Keywords: geology; speleology; Moravian Karst; altimetric (height) measurements of; palaeontology; archaeology

Commemorative Plaque to Martin Kříž in Brno-Líšeň