Zvolská homole, Nature reserve near Zvole, Czech Republic

Zvolská homole is a nature reserve on the right bank of the Vltava near Zvole, protecting the summit and slopes of the 327-metre Homole hill. Its rock faces above the river expose Proterozoic shales and siltstones cut by red porphyry and minette veins, with rocky steppes and oak-beech woodland on the slopes.

The hilltop and slopes hold traces of a Bronze Age fortified settlement, whose inhabitants used the natural cliffs and steep slopes for defence and dug a ditch around the site. In the Middle Ages a small guard castle, Zvolská homole, was built on the prehistoric hillfort; only ramparts and ditches survive, and no written records of it exist. The nature reserve was declared in 1990 with an area of 49.92 hectares.

The name Homole comes from the shape of the rock rising above the Vltava, and the reserve takes its name from the nearby village of Zvole. On the summit and slopes, archaeologists found traces of a Bronze Age hillfort whose inhabitants used the natural cliffs and steep slopes for defence, with a ditch around the settlement. In the Middle Ages a small guard castle stood on the same spot; only remnants of its ramparts and ditches remain.

The site is accessible by train to Dolní Břežany-Jarov station, from which a marked hiking trail leads to the viewpoint. The paths can be uneven and muddy depending on weather, so sturdy footwear is helpful.

A railway tunnel runs 390 meters beneath the hilltop and connects Prague with Čerčany and Dobříš. This hidden passage is part of the site's story, even though visitors cannot see it from above.