Bítov was a village in the Znojmo region that disappeared underwater during the construction of the Vranov Dam in the early 1930s. More than 400 people moved to a new village above the reservoir at that time.[1][2] According to the last census, 416 inhabitants lived in 70 houses in the original village, and in 1933 they moved to the new Bítov, which was designed by architect Josef Karel Říha.[3] Only the church remained above the water, around which pleasure boats used to sail. In the 1960s it was demolished with explosives for safety reasons.[1][2] The last remnant of the original village is the cemetery, which stood on elevated ground.[3]
When the reservoir's water level is low, remains of the original village appear - in October 2026, for example, house foundations, stone cellars and remnants of walls. Similar sights were seen in 2017 and 2018.[1][2] The submerged Bítov also emerged from the reservoir in 1964 and 2010.[3]
According to Radek Špatka of Povodí Moravy, in October 2026 the water level of the Vranov Dam reached 338.34 metres above sea level, and the reservoir was filled to about 30 percent; according to him, the ideal level can be considered 348.45 metres above sea level.[1]
The reservoir recorded its lowest levels in 1964 (335 metres above sea level) and in 2010 (337.16 metres above sea level), and in 2017 and 2018 it dropped to 338.64 metres above sea level.[1]
The outflow from the reservoir in October 2026 is approximately three cubic metres per second, half the summer values, which due to irrigation reached up to six cubic metres. Povodí Moravy states that the outflow cannot be significantly reduced, because a minimum amount of water must be maintained in the Morava watercourse along with further withdrawals downstream of the reservoir.[1]
Chronology
- — Due to drought, the water level of the Vranov Dam in the Znojmo region of the South Moravian Region dropped to 338.34 metres above sea level, revealing the remains of the submerged village of Bítov. → Ekolist.cz iDNES.cz: Brno
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Sources
- Ekolist.cz — 5 October 2026
- iDNES.cz: Brno — 5 October 2026
- Blesk.cz — 6 October 2026