Circular routes to the volcanic peaks surrounding the battle of Lovosice (1756): 17 km to 29 km

• The Seven Years’ War which ran from 1756 to 1763 was arguably the first true “World War”, with conflict raging in Central Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. All the major European powers at that time (Great Britain, France, Russia, Prussia, the Austrian Empire, Spain and Sweden) were involved in the conflict which eventually cost the lives of over a million soldiers and civilians.
• In Europe, the main players were Prussia, led by Frederick the Great and the Habsburg ruled Austrian Empire. It is sometimes forgotten that the first significant battles in this global conflict were fought in Bohemia. In late 1756 Frederick sent his main army marching into Central Bohemia, with the aim of over-wintering in the rich Bohemian plain. On a foggy morning in October 1756, the Austrians set an ambush on the vineyard clad slopes of the volcanic Lovoš hill, close to the Labe river, at the point where Frederick’s army was expected to emerge from the hills.
• Frederick’s commanders fell into the trap, charging apparently weak Austrian forces on the outskirts of Lovisice town with a force of cavalry. They were surprised to discover a rather larger force awaiting them. Frederick’s main forces hastily occupied the neighboring hills, including the prominent volcanic peak of Ovčín. Over the next several hours skirmishes and artillery exchanges caused around three thousand casualties on each side, before the Austrians made a tactical retreat in the face of an artillery barrage from the Prussians.
• While Frederich claimed a victory at Lobosice, he appears to have been shaken by quality of the Austrian army. He halted his advance, deciding it was safer to overwinter in Saxony. The Bohemian campaign of 1756 was therefore effectively a stalemate, setting things up for renewed hostilities in 1757.
• The Prussian army made a further attempt to invade Bohemia that year, resulting in the siege of Prague, preceded by the bloody battle of Štěrbohol. Then came the conclusive battle of Kolín, which the Prussians disastrously lost. Frederic had to abandon for good his attempts to break the Austrian power in Central Europe. Walks around these two 1757 battle sites can be found by clicking the links provided.
• Although there are no visible remains of the Lovosice battle (except a small memorial chapel on the outskirts of town – map point 2) a walk around the hills which witnessed the battle is highly recommended for the impressive scenery. Most of the surrounding volcanic hills can be ascended and this is super hiking country. The route shown in the map below includes ascents of all the surrounding peaks in the area, including the dominant peak of Lovoš. However, all or some of the ascents – which can be quite steep – can be skipped as the main walking trails circle below the summits of these hills.
• The complete suggested route of 29 km (which starts and finishes in Lovosice) includes ascents of five separate summits and involves nearly 1000m of height to ascend-descend. The route can, however, be shortened and some or all of the summits skipped if desired.
• The first peak reached following the route clockwise is Ovčín (431m) where the Prussian army established its main forces in 1756. The second is Košťál (481 m) which is topped with the romantic ruins of a 14th century castle. The third hill is called Holý vrch (458 m), which translates a ‘Bare hill’, a good name as it is a rare peak in the area that is not forested to the summit. Holý vrch actually lies off the marked hiking route, but is actually worth ascending to capture some of the best views – it also has the least climbing of the five peaks, so is a good choice if preferring just to climb one of the hills on this circuit.
• From Holý vrch, the route heads back towards Lovisice and passes close to the hill of Boreč (449m) which has a very unusual geological feature – ventarols – cracks running through the volcanic hill that create large temperature variations in the air flowing through the hill from bottom to top (note there is a separate short walk in the guide to this unique site if deciding not to attempt all the peaks on this particular trip).
• The final hill is the most prominent and popular in the area – Lovoš (570m). Again there is a separate walk up this hill if deciding to skip it on this trip. Lovoš does, however, have magnificent views from the summit and is definitely recommended. There is a choice of route back to Lovosice, directly down the east flank of Lovoš, or a longer route taking in a section of the very attractive Oparenské valley, followed by a section along the Labe river cycle/hiking path.
• In terms of route variations, skipping all the summits of all five hills (which are quite steep and can be slippery in wet condition) while still taking the longer scenic Oparenské valley path, reduces the walk to 23 km, with 460m of height difference. Taking the shorter direct path back to Lovosice, down the east side of Lovoš, further reduces the walk to 19 km. Finally, starting and finishing at one of the car parks in the center of Lovosice also saves 2 km.
• The one drawback of hiking in this otherwise very attractive terrain is the surprising lack of refreshment options on the trails. There is a snack bar usually open on the summit of Lovoš, but other than that it is best to take sufficient supplies for the journey and then find something back in Lovosice. One good option in the town is the excellent café on the main square near the chateau, called John1990, which also has an interesting ice cream selection.

Note: click ‘Show on Mapy.com’  to go to a full screen version of the route directly on the mapy.com site. This can be used for on line navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file.

Directions

• Starting at the Lovosice train station follow the BLUE hiking trail through the center of town, turning to the left after passing under the main road. The memorial chapel for the battle is on the left side (1.9 km after leaving the station)
• Continue on the BLUE trail for 2 km to reach the village of Vchynice
• At the trail junction in Vchynice, turn left onto the GREEN trail heading in the direction of Radostice
• After 1.5 km reach the Ovčín – vyhl. junction, where there is the option of detouring for 600m to reach the summit of Ovčín (returning back to the junction)
• Conintue on the GREEN trail for a further 1.9 km to reach the Košťálov – rozc. junction. Here there is the option of detouring for 400m to reach the summit of Košťál (returning back to the junction after climbing the hill)
• From the Košťálov – rozc. junction join the RED trail heading in the direction of Nad Sutomí which is reached in 800m
• At the Nad Sutomí junction turn right onto the YELLOW trail heading in the direction of Boreč
• Shortly on the left side the bare hill Holý vrch is visible. This can (optionally) be ascended quickly on one of the unmarked footpaths for a fine view. Then return back to the YELLOW trail and descend into the village of Boreč, passing a small modern stone circle on the way
• In Boreč, at the trail junction in the village there is the option of turning left to join the GREEN trail for an ascent of Boreč hill (in which case traverse the hill and rejoin the YELLOW trail on the far side at the Režný Újezd junction). Otherwise skip the ascent and continue on the YELLOW trail for 1.1 km to the Režný Újezd junction
• From Režný Újezd, continue on the YELLOW trail for 2.8 km to reach the Lovoš – rozc. junction, where there is the option of detouring to climb the final hill Lovoš (a 2.2 km detour)
• There are two ascent paths to Lovoš, one steeper (the GREEN), the other slightly longer but less steep (the BLUE). Consider taking the GREEN on ascent and BLUE for the descent. Return back to the Lovoš – rozc. junction after climbing the hill
• From the Lovoš – rozc. continue on the YELLOW trail for 1.7 km to reach the Oparenské údolí junction. Here turn right, to follow the YELLOW trail down the valley
• After 3.1 km reach the Labe riverbank at the Malé Žernoseky – přívoz ferry crossing. Turn right to follow the riverside path (still marked YELLOW, but now also a cycle track) for 3.2 km to return back to the town center