To Babylon

The trip starts in Borač, near the train station. Borač is a small foothill village located under the southeastern peaks of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, northwest of the town of Tišnov and south of the village Doubravník. The village stretches along the Svratka river and in the southwestern part of the Svratecká hornatina nature park. At the very beginning, notice the truss steel arch bridge, which is a technical monument from 1910. On the steel structure of the bridge, there are four cast iron plates with inscriptions: "Built at the expense of the Tišnov District Road Committee under chairman F. Životský by the Moravian Silesian Ironworks company in Přívoz in 1910" and "Permitted load of the bridge: vehicle weight 6000 kg, steam roller 14000 kg, crowd of people 400 kg per m, fast driving prohibited, built during mayor P. Uhra's tenure." The bridge in Borač is now a unique and very interesting testimony to the historical development of bridge construction, the lifestyle and environment of the society at the beginning of the 20th century. From Borač, the local part Vrby, we head uphill along the forest path to the Babylon lookout above Kaly. The wooden lookout stands on the hill of the same name above the village Kaly at an altitude of 506 m (above sea level). The viewing platform, where panoramic maps with marked distinctive points are installed, was built in 2005 with support from the Rural Development Program of the South Moravian region. It offers views into the distant surroundings. From there, we drive to the Křivoš lookout. The wooden lookout between the villages Štěpánovice and Dolní Loučky stands on the top of Křivoš (464 m above sea level) and was built on the initiative of the Porta microregion in 2005. The lookout offers especially nice views of the railway viaduct near Dolní Loučky. The lookout is freely accessible and walking trails of the Porta microregion lead around it. From the lookout, we return back to Kaly, from where follows a descent down to Dolní Loučky. From there through the Cistercian monastery in Předklášteří Porta coeli (Gate of Heaven). The monastery is one of the most significant medieval monuments in the territory of the Czech Republic. It was founded in 1233 by Queen Constance, widow of Přemysl Otakar I. Although the monastery underwent numerous sometimes drastic changes over the centuries, it has preserved its architecturally valuable features. The richly decorated Gothic portal is a unique artistic work in all of Central Europe. The cloister is vaulted with ribbed vaults, above the presbytery there is a six-part ribbed vault and it is the only intact building of this type in Moravia. The cloister around the paradise garden with the convent adjoins the basilica. The monastery is open all year round. There is also the Brno Region Museum - Podhorácko Museum. From Předklášteří it is just a short distance to the Tišnov station.