A commemorative plaque was installed in the nature reserve forest at Hojná Voda to mark the 150th anniversary of its proclamation by Count George Francis August Buquoy. The establishment of both the Hojná Voda and the nearby Žofín Forest nature reserves took place in 1838. These two forests are among the first protected nature reserves not only in the Bohemian lands, but in the whole of Central Europe.

The declaring of the Hojná Voda Forest as nature reserve by Count George Francis August Buquoy in 1838 followed shortly after the establishment of the Žofín Forest nature reserve. It is interesting to note that the inspiration for the establishment of nature reserves in these two forests in the Novohradské hory mountains also came from the philosophy-of-nature thinking of this interdisciplinary polymath, i.e. from his idea of the world as a living organism and his efforts to combine science, philosophy and poetry. In addition to publishing philosophy of nature works, Count Buquoy was also renowned in the fields of mathematics, physics and chemistry.

The Hojná Voda National Natural Heritage, located at the foot of Mount Vysoká at an altitude of 1,034 m near the village of the same name in the immediate vicinity of the Austrian border, was newly designated and declared in 2004. Its current area is 9.19 ha. The forest can be peered into today from the path that leads through its centre and is lined with a red hiking trail. On this path there is also the Hojná Voda educational trail created by the state-owned company Lesy ČR (Forests of the CR).

The forest of Hojná Voda belongs among the small protected areas, which are left to develop naturally on their own. There are remnants of the original spruce-fir-beech forest and also a remarkable system of slope forest sciophytic (shade-loving) springs. The installation of a plaque commemorating the establishment of the Hojná Voda Forest Reserve was initiated by the State Nature Conservancy of the České Budějovice district in 1988.

Connected places: Georg Franz August Buquoy
Jiří František August Buquoy; Založení Žofínského pralesa

Keywords: botany; ecology; forestry; natural forest nature reserve; sciophytic springs; educational nature trail; Count Buquoy; Novohradské hory region

Albrecht, J..: Územní ochrana. In: Dudák, V. (ed.) a kol.: Novohradské hory a Novohradské podhůří, příroda, historie, život. Praha 2006, s. 257–264.

Memorial Plaque Commemorating the establishment of the Hojná Voda Natural Forest Nature Reserve