Divoká Šárka (; wild Šárka) is a

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...

on the northwestern outskirts of

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, the capital city of the Czech Republic. Around the 6th century, the

Slavs The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and ...

came to this area. Between the 7th and 9th centuries, there was a Slavic settlement above the Džbán gorge, consisting of an area of approximately twenty ha. A

gorge A canyon (; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), gorge or chasm, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tend ...

in the area is named after the female warrior Šárka, who, according to '' Ancient Bohemian Legends'', threw herself to her death from its cliffs after betraying her lover Ctirad during the Maidens' War. Divoká Šárka is the closest location to Prague where the black woodpecker lives. The reserve has a lake along its edge as well as a public swimming pool within.

Gallery

Praha, Vodní nádrž Džbán 01.jpg, Džbán

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

Praha, Vokovice, Divoká Šárka X.JPG, Restaurant Dívčí skok Praha, Vokovice, Divoká Šárka, skály u Džbánu.jpg, Džbán gorge 23.06.2012 Divoka Sarka Czech (28).JPG Divoká Šárka.jpg

References

Geography of Prague Nature reserves in the Czech Republic Tourist attractions in Prague 1964 establishments in Czechoslovakia {{protected-area-stub