Ondratice: Kopaniny Natural Area and Local History

Ondratice lies at the first foothills of the Drahanská vrchovina highlands. The Kopaniny protected area gives the town’s natural setting a distinct character: former pastures, meadows, small fields and orchards meet waterlogged areas and a traditional orchard meadow. At the same time, school buildings, a chapel, crosses and other memorial sites point to different chapters of local history. These two perspectives—landscape and history—offer different themes for a stay in Ondratice.

The Kopaniny Natural Area

The Kopaniny protected area is a mosaic of former pastures, meadows, small fields and orchards, separated by terraced grassy banks. It also includes species-rich grassland communities, waterlogged areas with a spring, and an extensively managed traditional orchard meadow with standard trees. The character of the protected area is shaped not only by its plants but also by the varied structure of its land.

A very healthy population of fringed gentians grows in the northeastern part of the protected area. Great crested newts, European tree frogs and common frogs breed in the wetland. These natural features are clearly associated with different areas: the fringed gentian with the northeastern section, and the breeding of the three amphibian species with the wetland. This places a botanical feature alongside the amphibians of the wetland.

The entrance to the protected area is at the end of Ondratice’s upper sports field. The Ondratický stream is also part of the local landscape: its source is beside a large beech tree in Křenice, and it flows into the Broděnka stream in Brodek. Its source and mouth provide two specific geographical reference points and add another aspect of nature to the protected area.

School History and Memorial Sites

A one-class school was built in Ondratice in 1870. The present-day school building was constructed in 1909–1910; classes are no longer held there. Another important date in local history is 1919, when the Sokol was founded in Ondratice. Local history therefore encompasses both building history and the founding of a local organization. The Sokol was founded about a decade after the new school was built.

The Chapel of St. John of Nepomuk with its bell tower in Ondratice is listed as an immovable cultural monument of the Czech Republic. It was restored and fitted with a tower in 1898. This restoration adds a specific historical architectural detail to the monument’s listed status.

Each of the stone crosses also has its own connection to the locality. The cross on the road to Drysice was reconstructed, and its surroundings were improved. Another stone cross by the children’s playground in Ondratice was also reconstructed. The statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in Ondratice was restored in 2010.

A food event was announced in Ondratice for 2020 as the traditional Vepřové hody; it was to be based on a home pig slaughter.

Discover more destinations: Mostkovice, Rakůvka, Horní Štěpánov, Čechy Pod Kosířem, Němčice Nad Hanou, Nezamyslice, Čelechovice Na Hané, Pivín.

For the wider travel overview: Prostějov District.