Soudkova štola, Natural monument in Olšovec, Czech Republic.

Soudkova štola is a protected natural monument near Olšovec featuring unusual rock formations and streams. The site preserves these geological features and the plants and wildlife that depend on them.

The abandoned shale adits date from the second half of the 19th century, and mining ended there in the mid-20th century. The 0.72-hectare protected area was declared by the Olomouc Region authority on 13 April 2011 to safeguard the bat hibernaculum.

The name Soudkova štola refers to an abandoned shale mine; the adits were dug in the second half of the 19th century and mining ended in the mid-20th century. Today the site is valued as a winter roost for the critically endangered lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros), as well as amphibians and insects.

The adits are closed to the public, so the site can only be viewed from outside; the entrance area above the Velička stream is reached from the Boňkov settlement near Olšovec. Spoil heaps of shale rubble and a shaft mine lie close by.

The galleries are a winter roost for the critically endangered lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros), along with other bats, amphibians and insects. Because of this, the underground workings are closed to the public; heaps of slate spoil and a shaft mine lie nearby.