An easy circuit around the disappeared Brdy township of Kolvín: 14 km

• The highland area of Brdy is today perhaps best known as a former military area which has been transformed into a tranquil haven for walkers, cyclists and even the occasional cross-country skier. Located less than an hour’s drive west of Prague, and sandwiched between the D4 and D5 highways, Brdy is one of the country’s more accessible Protected Landscape Areas. Yet, most of the increasing number of visitors probably do not realize that Brdy’s very tranquility – its almost unreal wilderness landscape – is partly due to the ruthless removal of ancient villages, firstly by the Nazi regime and then by the Soviet army after the 1948 Communist coup.
• One of those villages was Kolvín, located on the western slopes of the nature reserve below the (beautifully named) Brdy mountain, Palcíř. Founded in the 14th century, the village was raised to the ground in 1953 when the military area was expanded by the Communist government. Kolvín’s remaining population was displaced and given only limited compensation. The route shown in the map below circles around the territory previously occupied by this ‘disappeared Brdy village’. For more on the story of Kolvín, visit the excellent Brdy.org website.
• Part of the route includes a section of the longer (17 km) education trail which explores the area around the Upper Padrť fish ponds, which were founded in the 16th century, used by a number of disappeared Brdy villages (including Kolvín). This longer route is described here – it’s an excellent route, but is unsuitable for strollers, which is why the following route is suggested for a more tranquil walk. All the paths are easily navigated cycle paths or country lanes. There is also less than 200m of height to ascend/descend on this route.
• The closest access point is the parking area at Kolvín, at the western edge of the Brdy range. This is (unusually for Brdy) a large parking area but does require payment – cash only. The nearest public transport option is the bus stop in the village of Skořice, 1.4 km further down the road.
• The route passes through the hamlet of Pančava, where there is a local pub that is a good stop for refreshments (but check opening times on the FB site). If driving in the area during the summer, watch out for the Liška BISTROuška snack bar in the nearest town, Mirošov (situated next to the church). It serves excellent draft ice cream.

Note: click ‘Show on map’ above to go to a full screen version directly on the mapy.cz site. This can be used for online navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file

Directions

• From the Kolvín car park, walk up the road towards the forest for 900m to join the nature trail. This is also where the road meets the BLUE hiking trail
• Continue on the BLUE trail as far as the V aleji junction and there turn off the hiking trail to join the 2154 cycle path
• Stay on the 2154 cycle path for 6 km until reaching the Pančava junction. There, at the cross roads, take the turn to the right and follow this country road all the way back to the Kolvín car park, reached in 3 km