A tour around Bítov and Cornštejn castles and the magnificent Dyje river valley: 7 km to 12 km

• Bítov castle majestically sits on a rocky promontory protected on three sides by a horseshoe bend in the Želetavka river. The site has been occupied since Neolithic times, but the present castle dates from the 11th century, when the Přemyslid rulers of Moravia constructed the first of a chain of castles to protect their southern borders . The castle has undergone many additions and refurbishments over the subsequent centuries, but the medieval Gothic core remains.
• The castle has an unusually rich history, some of which is on display on the various guided tours. There is a particularly colorful story about the castle’s last owner, Jiří Julius Haas, who had an extraordinary passion for animals (amongst other things).
• Just a couple of kilometers from Bítov, situated above an even more impressive meander of the Dyje river valley (which since the 1930’s has flooded with the Vranov reservoir) sits the impressive ruins of Cornštejn castle. Actually much younger than Bítov, Cornštejn was only constructed in the early 14th century. From that time the twin castles effectively created an impregnable defensive system for the region.
• If planning a walk to visit both castles, a good starting point is the village center of Bítov, which was relocated to its current position in the 1930’s when the reservoir flooded the original medieval village situated below Bítov castle walls. Bítov is on a regional bus route and there is parking around the main square. Note – there are also separate parking areas closer to both castles, if preferring to reduce the distance walked.
• The walk from the village to Cornštejn and back is around 5 km. From the village to Bítov castle and back to the main square it is approximately 6 km (there is a recommended additional short detour to the best viewpoint overlooking the castle). There is a total of 300m height to ascend/descend – most of this is to get to and from Cornštejn. None of the paths are difficult or particularly steep.
• For refreshments, there is a good café in the castle and in the village centre try the popular (and often very busy) Hasičský pivovar Bítov, a local brewery restaurant.

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

• From the centre of Bítov village, follow the GREEN hiking trail for 2.4 km to reach Cornštejn ruins. The route follows the road for much of the way. Return back to Bítov village the same way
• To walk to Bítov castle, follow the GREEN trail in the opposite direction – signposted Bítov (hrad)
• To visit the best viewpoint overlooking the castle, at the trail junction just before the castle entrance turn right in the direction of Zblovice. The viewpoint is on the left after 400m
• Return back the same route to the castle and then back to Bítov village