Kolínské tůně, Natural monument in Kolín, Czech Republic.
Kolínské tůně is a protected natural monument with multiple water pools formed along the Elbe River, hosting diverse plant and animal species. The site includes former river channels and surrounding floodplain forests that together create a rich wetland ecosystem.
The area received official protection status in February 1985 to preserve the natural features of the former river meander and surrounding floodplain forests. This protection acknowledged the ecological importance of a wetland shaped by the Elbe River's movements across centuries.
The pools lie in the Hánín landscape feature, named after a Slavic hillfort of the same name nearby. The dead arm is locally called "Staré Labe" (Old Elbe), and other oxbows close by bear names like Legerovo, Ovčačka and Štolbovka. Fishing use and support for semi-wild ducks reduced the former aquatic vegetation.
The pools lie about 3 km east of Kolín's centre on the Elbe's right bank, at 195–196 m, near the village of Tři Dvory. The pools have no through-flow and are fed by rain and groundwater, so water levels fluctuate; the eastern bank of the old channel is overgrown with tall vegetation that screens it from the surroundings.
The white water lily, whose protection was a reason for declaring the monument in 1985, was last recorded here in 1986 and was not found during the 2001 mapping. The yellow water lily survives in the old arm in only a few specimens, reduced by support for semi-wild duck nesting.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,284 contributors worldwide.