Upper Svratka Highlands

Upper Svratka Highlands
Upper Svratka Highlands
	Look over Lake Vir
Highest point
Peak	Devět skal
Elevation	836 m (2,743 ft)
Dimensions
Length	62 km (39 mi)
Area	1,135 km2 (438 sq mi)
Geography
	Hornosvratecká vrchovina CZ I2C-4.png
Country	Czech Republic
Region	Moravia
Range coordinates	49°20′46″N 16°10′59″E / 49.346°N 16.183°E
Parent range	Bohemian Massif
Geology
Orogeny	Variscan
Rock age(s)	Paleozoic, Mesozoic
Rock type(s)	Granite, quartz, slate

The Upper Svratka Highlands (Czech: Hornosvratecká vrchovina, German: Hohe Schwarza Bergeland) is a mountain range in Moravia, Czech Republic. The Highlands, together with the Křižanov Highlands threshold, form the Western-Moravian part of Moldanubian Zone – east south part of Bohemian Massif.^[1]

Geography

The Upper Svratka Highlands rise to the north of the Tišnov, Moravia between Lomnice u Tišnova, and the Svratka in the north. The Highlands have an area of 1,135 square kilometres (438 sq mi) and an average height of 580 metres (1,900 ft). The highest peak is Devět skal at 836 metres (2,743 ft); other peaks are Žákova hora 810 metres (2,660 ft) Pohledecká skála 800 metres (2,600 ft), Horní les 774 metres (2,539 ft), Harusův kopec 741 metres (2,431 ft), Přední skála 712 metres (2,336 ft), or Sýkoř 702 metres (2,303 ft).

The northwestern part is formed by Žďárské vrchy mountain range. To the southeast is the Boskovice Furrow in the mid-Moravian part of the Brno Highlands as well and in the east the Svitavy Uplands. The Svratka river stream naturally established Bohemian-Moravian border, the other part of Elbe–Danube main European watershed

The mountain range is 63% forested, though mainly by plantations - spruces, maples, beeches, elmeses. The forests are in well condition.

The primary composition of the range is cretaceous granite, migmatite, orthogneiss, amphibole, granodiorite, gabbro and quartz slate. Often gneis. Soil horizon – mainly cambisol.^[2]

The rivers Svratka, Bystřice [cs], Loučka [cs], Nedvědička [cs] among others, originate here.

Population

The area is relatively sparsely populated (in terms of the Czech Republic). The largest towns in the Upper Svratka Highlands are Nové Město na Moravě (partly), Bystřice nad Pernštejnem, Kunštát, Olešnice and Bystré.