Vinoř - Satalice
Pod hradištěm
CAUTION! THIS WATER IS NOT POTABLE! One of the most notable springs in Prague. A strong spring of water from a 13 cm wide crevice in the rock. This crevice soon expands into a larger cave, about 1.2 m wide, 4 m high and 4 m deep (the spring was described in this manner in 2008, currently it is smaller.) The spring forms a pool at the bottom of the cave and it then flows along the wall of the cave and into the stream. Access is via a temporary footbridge that can be found cca. 30 m from the stop towards the stream. The possibility that a strong spring could serve as a source of water for the residents of the fortified settlement on the promontory above is only a theory; missing is any evidence. The spring is also called Trhlina and it constitutes a part of the Vinořský Park Nature Reserve and of the wider natural-landscape, the Vinořsko-Satalický complex. 20 m to the north there is another spring called Malá Trhlina. On a promontory above the spring there is an important archaeological site – the premises of a former Slavic fortified settlement and an extinct medieval village. According to the information available, an analysis of the water in this well was carried out in 2007. The nitrate content was cca. 10% higher than that permitted by Decree No. 252/2004 Coll. On drinking water.
The underground water from this well also sometimes contains elevated numbers of coliforms, enterococci and Escherichia coli bacteria, which indicates the presence of faecal pollution that seeps into the soil and groundwater in the area of this spring! Also measured in the groundwater was an increased number of psychrophilic bacteria, which provided evidence of surface water seepage into this well.
Other possible anthropogenic contaminants (heavy and toxic metals, petroleum compounds and chlorinated hydrocarbons) have not yet been monitored in this well.
Ox-eye daisy – an invasive plant Prior to their elimination in 2004, in Vinořský Park large numbers of invasive plant species such as Giant Hogweed (see the Information panel) and Ox-eye daisy occurred. These are not native to the Czech Republic and apparently they were first grown primarily in botanical gardens.
