Betlém, Natural monument in Pasohlávky, Czech Republic

Betlém is a natural monument near Pasohlávky in the Brno-venkov district, formed in a former gravel pit mined for the Nové Mlýny reservoir dams. It protects a typical marsh, the alluvium of the Jihlava River and floodplain forest, and serves as a study area for the Moravian Museum in Brno.

Betlém originated on the site of a gravel pit mined for the construction of the Nové Mlýny reservoir dams. It then became a study plot of the Natural History Department of the Moravian Museum in Brno. From 1989, European pond turtles were released here over five years; the population grew and was estimated at 300 individuals in 2023.

The site serves as a study area for the zoological department of the Moravian Museum in Brno, which monitors the development of living components of the environment and carries out practical interventions. The museum also handles public education and expert excursions here.

The site lies by the village of Pasohlávky in the Brno-venkov district and adjoins the Dolní mušovský luh protected area on its eastern side. It is managed by the AOPK Brno agency, and the Moravian Museum in Brno uses it as a study plot, so visits are best arranged through the museum's guided excursions.

The pond occupies a former gravel pit dug to build the dams of the Nové Mlýny reservoirs, and since 1989 it has served as a study plot of the Moravian Museum in Brno. Between 1989 and 1994 European pond turtles (Emys orbicularis) were released here; by 2023 the population was estimated at 300 individuals.