A short walk along Josefovská valley to the Býčí skála cave : 3 km

• There are literally thousands of caves in the Moravian limestone area, Moravský kras. Many of these caves provided periodic shelter to hunter gatherers in the old Stone Age and then to settlers from the Neolithic period onwards. Some caves, however, became very special places for our prehistoric ancestors. One such is Býčí skála, located in the scenic Josefovská valley close to Adamov town, around 20 km north of Brno.
• This unique cave system is the second longest in the Czech Republic, with a total length of more than 16 km. The cave system is only accessible very occasionally, on special open days, usually in late Spring. It is definitely worth trying to get on one of these open day tours.
• The remarkable main hall of the cave system, just inside the entrance way, is one of the most important archaeological sites in the country (in addition to being a secret Nazi construction site for aircraft engines in WWII). Finds from all archaeological periods have been unearthed in the cave, including a famous bronze bull discovered in the 19th century, dating from the Iron Age. However, the most important discoveries are possibly much more recent.
• Only in 2020 has new research shown that the cave was actually a burial ground for the earliest Celtic elite in Moravia between 575 BC and 450 BC. Remarkably rich burials, sometimes in wooden chariot hearses, were made directly in the area of the caves that was periodically flooded by the Jedovnický stream. The Celtic belief system almost certainly included ritual purification by water. These early Celtic cave burials are unique in Europe.
• Other than on the specific open days, usually only the entrance portal to the main cave is accessible, but the short walk along the valley from the nearest parking area/bus stop is still worth doing at any time of the year. Apart from a number of smaller caves that line the valley, there are extensive old iron ore mine workings, and in the center of the valley at at Stará huť one of the best preserved and most impressive 18th century blast furnaces, now part of an exhibition that is open the public.
• The forest footpath from the Stará huť ironworks towards Býčí skála follows the stream for 1.5 km to reach the caves system. It is not a difficult path with only 70m of height gained/lost on the outbound and return journey. The path can be muddy in wet weather. The return route follows the same path, which is part of the Josefovské údolí nature trail. For a longer walk along the valley, it is possible to start in Adamov itself and follow the trail for 5 km to the cave.

Note: click ‘Show on Mapy.com’  to go to a full screen version of the route directly on the mapy.com site. This can be used for on line navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file.

Directions

• Start at the parking area at Stará huť, just a few km along the small side road from Adamov town. There is a bus stop with bus connections to Adamov train station
• Cross the stream on the footbridge behind the parking area and at the trail junction, turn left onto the BLUE trail in the direction of Býčí skála
• Follow this BLUE trail (also marked with the green-white diagonal nature trail markings) for 1.5 km to the entrance to the Býčí skála caves
• Return on the same path, after taking the short loop of the nature trail to see where the Jedovnický stream emerges from the cave system