Věstonice Reservoir, reservoir in Czech Republic

Věstonice Reservoir is the middle of the three linked Nové Mlýny reservoirs on the Thaya River in South Moravia, built between 1975 and 1988. It covers 10.3 km², making it the seventh-largest reservoir in the Czech Republic, and receives the Jihlava and Svratka rivers. Unlike its two neighbours, it was left to natural processes.

The reservoir was built to reduce flooding and store water for the region. Construction of the dam fundamentally changed the landscape and caused the village of Mušov to be submerged, though St. Linhart Church was preserved on a hill.

St. Linhart Church on an island is all that remains of the former village of Mušov, which flooded when the reservoir was built. It stands as a visible link to human history in this landscape and draws visitors who want to explore how the past remains present.

The reservoir lies between the Mušov and Nové Mlýny reservoirs: road I/52 crosses the western dam and road II/420 the eastern dam between Strachotín and Dolní Věstonice. The whole water body is a nature reserve, so access is limited to the banks and dams; the church of St. Linhart stands on an island in the middle.

The reservoir flooded the village of Mušov, but its church of St. Linhart survived on a hilltop and now stands on an island in the middle of the water. The church is the only remnant of the village above the surface.