The Hill ‘Filipka’ near Jablunkova

This original Wallachian pasture hilltop of Filipka is also the place of a natural reserve of the same name. It protects an important site of overgrown junipers. This prickly shrub, that normally grows in mountainous areas of the Těšínské Mountains and Wallachia, has become increasingly scarce.

Juniper needs a lot of sun and that is the reason why it manages to grow so well in pastural areas. Once the grasslands becomes overgrown, the juniper subsides. That is why today, in areas where it used to flourish and where the Goral and Valaši people (local mountain folk) have harvested it for its medicinal qualities, junipers are very rare.

On Filipec hill, besides this shrub, you can also admire rare butterflies and it’s one of the sites where snakes live, including the very rare but venomous viper!