Last Thursday (4 December), shovels passed from hand to hand as volunteers dug holes for the new trees being planted in the emerging Na Valtické park in Břeclav. Over the course of the day, 28 trees and 20 shrubs were added to an area of approximately 2,500 m², which will soon be complemented by additional bulb plantings. Schoolchildren from the local elementary school, city officials, staff from the Břeclav City Hall, experts from the Czech Nature and Landscape Protection Agency, employees of the Břeclav Technical Services, and other community members all took part in this collective effort.
Visitors will eventually be able to stroll beneath the crowns of maples and elms, along with hornbeam, poplar, and oak trees. The park will also feature flowering shrubs such as spiraea and viburnum, while common hazel will provide nuts to enrich the local ecosystem.
The park is being developed as part of the international #CICADA4CE programme and is designed to serve as a model site for climate change adaptation. It demonstrates how former farmland, once overgrown with self-sown vegetation, can be transformed into a space that is not only attractive, but also improves water retention, supports biodiversity, and reduces wind erosion. Through their participation, local schoolchildren are learning how thoughtful interventions can positively shape the landscape around them.