Visit the animal farm and enjoy the view from the lookout tower
"Don't touch and especially don't pet!" You won't hear such an instruction in the Zlobice u Malhostovic nature area. You can go back and forth between the fences at will. The goats and sheep will welcome you with joyful bleating and bleating. Horses will neigh in greeting and even a donkey will come to pet you. The animals are looking forward to your visit. Baa.
Here, sheep and goats help maintain and improve the neglected area of Zlobice hill, which used to be a military area. The fenced pastures are extensive, resembling a small steppe in size. However, the animals are not afraid to come up to the fences, and even loudly, so that the children can pet them and feed them with the grass that grows in the surrounding areas.
The farm is alive with popular and well-attended events: Burning of witches, carnivals, spring welcomes and pig slaughter parties. All year round, you can buy sheep and goat products or have a snack in Koliba, which you can also find on the premises.
Climb the lookout tower and enjoy the views
A horseshoe's throw from the farm is the lookout tower. There are exactly 45 steps leading up to the viewing gallery, and although you will only be 9 metres above the ground, you will have the landscape as in the palm of your hand. You will surely see other significant points in the surroundings, such as the famous lookout towers Čebínka, Klucanina and Babylon or the Kouhoutovice water reservoir.
Tell your children about the history of the place you are visiting: From the observation tower, officers watched soldiers training, where sheep and goats graze the grass today, trenches were wounding and barbed wire was rusting. After the Velvet Revolution, the abandoned site became overgrown with trees and everything finally changed in 2009, when the conversion of the tower into a lookout tower was completed and cattle began to graze the grass around the new tower.
How to plan a trip?
The easiest way from Brno is by train or bus to Kuřim. There are plenty of connections there and back. From Kuřim, take the red trail. It will lead you after 4.6 km directly to the Zlobice lookout tower.
Fancy a slightly longer trip? Take the train to Čebín. Here your journey will begin with a climb to the Čebínka lookout tower. You will continue to the Malhostovická pecka natural monument and from there to the Zlobice lookout tower. You will return to Brno from Kuřim. This option is 11 km long.
You cannot drive directly to the area. It is necessary to park in front of the no-entry road between Malhostovice and Nuzířov. The tower is 3.5 km away along the panel road. Another option is to start from the car at Malhostovice.
As luxury bike paths have been built in recent years between Kuřim and the surrounding villages, it might be a great idea to include a visit to the Zlobice area in your bike trip.
