Boreč volcanic peak and its remarkable ventarols: a 3 km walk from Režný Újezd

• Boreč is an unremarkable low volcanic hill in a range of much higher, much more impressive volcanic peaks that make the České středohoří nature area so spectacular. Yet Boreč has a very special geological feature that makes it unique.
• Take the trail from the village of Režný Újezd on a cold winter’s day and as you approach the top, you are likely to see clouds of steam emerge from a number of pits near the summit. These are due to warm humid air escaping from cracks (‘ventarols’) in the volcanic hill. Cold air is sucked into the rubble at the bottom of the hill and rises through fissures that run throughout Boreč, heated by the warmer rocks inside the hill. The phenomenon reverses in summer, with warm air sucked into the hill from the top to emerge much cooler at the bottom.
• In winter there if there is snow at ground level, parts of the warmer summit area are likely to be snow free and almost spring like. This unusual phenomenon was finally explained in the late 19th century, but has clearly been attracting visitors for thousands of years. Votive offerings from the late Stone age and Bronze Age have been discovered near the summit.
• The route – which is marked as a nature trail (green-white diagonal stripes) – is best taken anticlockwise as the steeper section, with steps, is then tackled on the ascent. This section can be quite slippery in snowy conditions. There is a very fine viewpoint just below the summit, on the ascent route. The nature trail has several information boards – in Czech only.
• The start of the trail is in the village of Režný Újezd, which is 5 km from the town of Lovosice (which has a main line train station). The route involves 150 m of ascent, mostly on narrow forest paths. Some sections are quite steep. There are no refreshment options in Režný Újezd village, but if travelling through Lovosice there is a recommended café, near the chateau, called John1990. It also serves very good ice cream.

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

• Start in the center of Režný Újezd village. There is a bus route to There is a bus route to Režný Újezd from Lovosice. For drivers, there are a few parking spots near the trail signpost (marking the YELLOW trail) on the edge of the village from Lovosice. For drivers, there are a few parking spots near the trail signpost (marking the YELLOW trail) on the edge of the village (shown as the START marker on the map above)
• The nature trail (green-white diagonal stripes) begins near the village chapel, initially along a side road
• After 500m the trail reaches a junction. Take the right hand path and circle up the north side of the hill, steeply on some steps in the mid section. The summit is reached in 700m, with the best viewpoint just below the summit
• The trail loops around the summit, passing several ventarols, and then descends on the south side returning back to the junction. From there return to the village on the outbound path