Obora Hvězda (''Star Game Reserve'') is a forest park (formerly a royal

game reserve A game reserve (also known as a game park) is a large area of land where wild animals are hunted in a controlled way for sport. If hunting is prohibited, a game reserve may be considered a nature reserve; however, the focus of a game reserve ...

) in

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 of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, which is now protected as a natural monument. It is located about west of the city centre, surrounded by the neighbourhoods of

Liboc Liboc is a district of the city of Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. It is part of Prague 6 Prague 6, officially known as the Municipal District of Prague 6 (''Městská část Praha 6''), is the largest Districts of Prague, district in ...

(N),

Břevnov Břevnov () is a cadastral district in the west of Prague, located in Prague 6. The district is home to the Břevnov Monastery (Czech: ''Břevnovský klášter''). On the territory of Břevnov stems Brusnice brook. Břevnov was first mentioned in ...

(E),

Bílá Hora The Battle of White Mountain (; ) was an important battle in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. It led to the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt and ensured Habsburg control for the next three hundred years. It was fought on 8 November 162 ...

(SW) and

Ruzyně Ruzyně is a district of Prague city, part of Prague 6. It has been a part of Prague since 1960. Václav Havel Airport is located in this district. Czech Airlines has its head office on the grounds of the airport. Travel Service Airlines and its l ...

(W). The first mention of the forest, originally called ''Malejov'', dates from 993, when duke Boleslaus II donated it to the newly established

Břevnov Monastery Břevnov Monastery (, ) is a Benedictine archabbey in the Břevnov district of Prague, Czech Republic. It was founded by Saint Adalbert, the second Bishop of Prague, in AD 993 with the support of Bohemian Duke Boleslaus II. The first Bened ...

. It was transformed into a walled game reserve during rule of Ferdinand I in the mid-16th century. The current name (''

hvězda Hvězda is the Czech language, Czech word for "star" and may refer to: * Rudá Hvězda Brno, a defunct sports club * ''Rudá Hvězda Cheb'', the communistic name for a football club now known as FK Union Cheb * Letohrádek Hvězda, a villa in Pragu ...

'' being

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus *Czech (surnam ...

for "star") derives from the Star Summer Palace, a 16th-century building, which stands in middle of the forest. The

Battle of White Mountain The Battle of White Mountain (; ) was an important battle in the early stages of the Thirty Years' War. It led to the defeat of the Bohemian Revolt and ensured Habsburg control for the next three hundred years. It was fought on 8 November 16 ...

took place on fields in the W/SW vicinity of the game reserve in 1620. Nowadays part of the site is designated as a

Natura 2000 Natura 2000 is a network of nature protection areas in the territory of the European Union. It is made up of Special Areas of Conservation and Special Protection Areas designated under the Habitats Directive and the Birds Directive, respectiv ...

protected site due to the presence of the narrow-mouthed whorl snail (''Vertigo angustior''). The site is home to several bird species including the

Middle Spotted Woodpecker The middle spotted woodpecker (''Dendrocoptes medius'') is a European woodpecker belonging to the genus ''Dendrocoptes''. Taxonomy The middle spotted woodpecker was Species description, formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeu ...

External links

Obora Hvězda (The Hvězda Game Preserve) Natural Monument

Prague's Green Spaces: Quick guide to visiting Obora Hvězda

Czech Society for Ornithology: Birding in Prague
Special Areas of Conservation Natural monuments in the Czech Republic Forests of the Czech Republic Parks in Prague {{prague-geo-stub