Čičov, Natural rock formation and steppe reserve in Libčeves, Czech Republic.

Čičov is a 7.2-hectare nature reserve on a steep, treeless hill of 476 m by Hořenec, in the České středohoří Protected Landscape Area. The hill is built of picritic leucitite with aragonite crystals in its fissures, and its south slope carries continuous steppe grassland.

Čičov was declared a nature reserve on 23 May 1951, protecting a bare picritic-leucitite cone with steppe communities and an aragonite deposit cited in mineralogical textbooks. Small pits from former aragonite extraction remain visible on the summit, but mining and collecting are now forbidden.

The exposed basalt rock at Čičov draws geologists and botanists who come to study rare aragonite crystals found inside the rock formations. These crystals are uncommon in basalt, which makes this site a point of interest for researchers across the region.

The site lies at the western edge of Hořenec, less than 300 m from the Libčeves, Hořenec, rozc. bus stop. No marked hiking trails lead through the surroundings of Čičov, and the protected area is cut off from all roads by surrounding fields. The nearest former railway stop is Sinutec on the Švestková dráha line, where regular passenger service resumed in December 2019.

The pasque flower here is Pulsatilla pratensis subsp. bohemica, which forms a continuous stand on the south slope and grows scattered across almost the whole reserve. The hill is built of picritic leucitite, and aragonite crystals fill its fissures; the deposit appears in many mineralogical textbooks. Small pits from former aragonite digging are still visible at the summit.